A BOMB threat, which saw 1,700 employees evacuated from Barrow shipyard, was thought to be a hoax.

Staff at BAE Systems were forced to evacuate Devonshire Dock Hall yesterday following reports of an explosive item on a submarine.

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

Following an extensive sweep of the complex, a BAE Systems spokesman confirmed that ‘nothing suspicious was found’.

He said: “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.

“This is a well-exercised procedure and was purely precautionary.”

The spokesman said the incident had been precautionary and that staff were being asked to report to site as normal as of 4pm.

He added: “Working with the emergency services, we are now satisfied there is no immediate safety risk and employees due to come on to site to start any shift after 4pm are asked to report to site as normal.

“Further information is available on the employee hotline: 0808 126 1908.”

Last night, bosses issued an update saying: “Work is now returning to normal following this morning’s incident and employees on today’s back shift and night shift, as well as tomorrow’s day shift, are asked to report to work at their usual times and places.”

Some local residents felt concerned and confused following the incident.

Doreen Brown, who lives on Stanley Road opposite to the Devonshire Dock Complex, first heard about the bomb scare early yesterday afternoon.

She said: “I first heard about the scare around dinner time but wasn’t sure what was going on.

“There’s been a few hoax scares in the past so we’re hoping it’s nothing serious.”

Another resident said she was pleased the shipyard took such serious precautions.

She said: “It is good to see these precautions in case it is something more sinister.

“I’ve lived here 43 years and would hope the necessary procedures would be taken if it was something serious.”

The Royal Navy’s Astute Class submarine is a nuclear-powered attack submarine.

The Astute class is known for being among the most advanced and capable submarine platforms operating in the world today.

When construction is complete, the class will comprise of seven Astute submarines.

Anyone with information about the incident call 101.