School bomb threats: Suspected hoax calls spread to Scotland and Northern Ireland closing 13 more schools

Thousands of children across the UK have been evacuated from classrooms this week following a series of telephone calls warning of a bomb on site

Police searched the grounds of Canterbury Academy in Kent on Monday but no bomb was found

Children from at least 13 more schools across the UK have been evacuated after receiving a series of bomb threats from suspected hoax callers.

Counter terror police are investigating around 85 bomb threats made to schools over the past 24 hours, including seven new cases in Northern Ireland and a number of new reports from Scotland on Tuesday.

The threats follow a number of calls to approximately 27 schools across England on Monday, whereby an anonymous caller warned of a bomb on site that would “take children’s heads off”.

Thousands of children have been evacuated since Monday morning, the majority of whom are from primary schools. Some high school students also complained, however, of disrupted GCSE exams as a result of similar threats.

Canberra Primary in South Lanarkshire has been “cordoned off” and pupils have been moved to a school nearby, according to parents.

Separately, children from Carluke Primary in the same area were evacuated to nearby High Mill.

Dave Taylor, who has children at Carluke Primary, described a scene of “concern and panic” in South Lanarkshire.

He told Mirror Online: “When you hear something like that it’s always a worry, especially when there are kids involved.

“No alarm went off at the school. It was just a case of getting everyone out.”

A Police Scotland spokesman added: “Police Scotland would like to reassure the public that at present these do not appear to be credible threats, however they are being taken seriously.

”Staff and police are working with local authorities and are currently searching school buildings.

“Some schools as a precautionary measure, have been evacuated. Significant enquiries are underway.”

Perth High School received a “hoax threat” but did not evacuate pupils on the advice of police.

The school added: “As per national position this is not considered a credible threat”.

In Northern Ireland, the PSNI said they were “investigating a series of malicious communications”.

”We will liaise with other UK police services who have received similar calls, to investigate who is responsible and whether these incidents are linked.“

At this stage there is nothing to indicate the calls were terrorist-related, officials said.

The Department for Education said it was aware of the threats in England on Monday, but suggested that hysteria caused by the incidents may create an accumulative affect in spurring on more hoaxers.

The identity and quantity of callers has not been confirmed.