MYSTERY surrounds the destruction of three wheelie bins in Spains Lane with fire brigade officers suspecting a possible nail bomb explosion but police were saying they had no plans to investigate the matter further.

Emergency services were called to the isolated site on the outskirts of Tamworth following a 000 call at about 11.50am.

Units from the Kingswood and Tamworth Rural Fire Services and Tamworth Police attended.

RFS safety officer Peter Roffe told The Leader at the scene “it appears the three wheely bins have been blown up by what seems to be explosive devices wrapped in nails”.

“If that (nail bombs) is the case then this would constitute a vicious attack – but if it is not then it (bins being destroyed) is not really out of the ordinary.”

When Leader staff arrived on the scene the road was covered in a carpet of nails and debris from the three bins which had been scattered over a wide area.

Parts of the road verge had been cordoned off by fire vehicles but the light traffic was allowed to proceed normally.

Two of the red-lidded bins – which appeared to have been transported to the area for the purpose of destruction – were virtually demolished.

A third had been split apart at the sides but was still in one piece.

The three bins had been arranged in a line about 40 metres along the road verge.

There were no houses nearby and it is not known if the 000 call had been made by someone who heard an explosion or just spotted the wreckage.

Tamworth police told The Leader late yesterday they had no plans to

investigate the incident further.

The duty officer said investigating police did not believe the bins had been blown up.

Police have put the incident down to malicious damage and vandalism.

The Leader has received no reports of an explosion in the area recently.