A BOMB scare at Barrow's shipyard has been confirmed to be a hoax.

Staff at the shipyard were evacuated after reports of a bomb on a submarine.

An employee said staff in the Devonshire Dock Hall complex had been told this morning there had been an anonymous tip of a bomb on one of the Astute class vessels at BAE.

It is thought around 1,700 employees were evacuated.

News and Star:

A BAE Systems spokesman: "Following an extensive sweep of the Devonshire Dock Complex (DDC), including the four Astute class submarines in build, nothing suspicious was found.

"The situation is being managed in accordance with normal procedures and we expect to be able to close the incident shortly.

"Our first priority is always the safety of employees, the site and local residents so in accordance with our emergency procedures, we made the decision to release personnel from the DDC earlier today.