25 January 2001



Letter Bombs - Pet Suppliers Targetted

Pet shops and other businesses are being advised to step up their security following a recent spate of letter bombings which appears to be animal related.

The latest occured in North Tyneside near Newcastle Upon Tyne where a letter bomb was sent to a pet supplier. The store, which has not been named, received the device on Monday.

Last week (18 January), a letter bomb was sent to a Coventry pet store, the 'Godiva Pet and Reptile Centre'.

No one was injured in either incident, but there are fears they could be part of a general country-wide campaign. Nobody has as yet claimed responsibility.

Across The Country

Similar devices were sent to North Yorkshire agriculture and livestock firms several weeks ago.

At the time the National Farmers Union (NFU) warned members to be vigilant. The advice followed a meeting of the North-East branch of the NFU and Yorkshire Police.

Bomb Making Equipment

A search of a house in Wroxham, Norfolk, where bomb-making equipment was discovered was carried out on 18 January. It was reported at the time that detectives were checking for possible links to animal rights activists.

Although Norfolk Police spokesman Mel Lacey said there was nothing to suggest any such links with the recent spate, a conflicting report after the Coventry incident did link the incident to five other attacks.

In a hunt for the Coventry bomber(s), West Midlands Police were working with five other police forces in a joint effort co-ordinated by North Yorkshire.

The Injured

Since the start of this series of strikes, on December 15 last year in North Yorkshire, various other devices have been sent to targets in East Yorkshire, Cheshire, North Wales and now Coventry and North Tyneside.

So far the six-year-old daughter of a pest control company owner in Cheshire has suffered face, leg and foot injuries after a letter bomb exploded, a 58-year-old man suffered facial injuries when he opened a nail bomb at his farm in Ripon, and a woman at a farm in Humberside, was hurt after opening a letter bomb.

Protect Yourself

The latest advice from the NFU is:

"If you receive a padded type envelope or jiffy bag from an unexpected source you should err on the side of caution and contact the police."

"Your suspicions should be aroused if any package is unfranked or unprofessional in appearance."

"The size of the suspect packages received to date have varied from four inches square to 10 inches square. There appears to be no pattern or common factor in respect of the individuals or businesses which have been targeted and no group has claimed responsibility."

Following the North Tyneside bomb, a Northumbria Police spokeswoman said:

"We warn members of the public to treat mail with caution. It's also suggested that anyone in business dealing with agriculture or animals clearly identifies their packages when sending out routine mail."

"There have been no indications as to why or who sent this package [to the North Tyneside pet store]. But the incident highlights the importance of taking precautions when dealing with mail, especially items which arrive unexpectedly, have unfamiliar postmarks or unusual packaging. Any which arouse suspicions should be left alone and the police contacted immediately."

Last week the Pet Care Trust (PCT) sent similar advice to its members.

Copyright 2001 Steve O'Malley (UKPets).
This article may be reproduced with permission of the author and correct attribution to the source.