Brexit: Council staff resume inspections at Larne port
- Published
Mid and East Antrim Council took the decision after it received a threat assessment from the police
Workers withdrawn from doing Brexit checks at the Port of Larne amid allegations of intimidation are to return to duty immediately.
Mid and East Antrim Council took the decision after receiving a threat assessment from the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI).
It involved 12 environmental health officers and a number of other staff.
The council said it had carried out its own risk assessment and staff safety was its priority.
Physical checks were also temporarily suspended on most goods by the Agriculture Department at both Larne and Belfast.
It is now assessing PSNI advice before deciding on its next move.
The checks were stopped on Monday after both the council workers and departmental staff withdrew.
It followed the appearance of graffiti in Larne on 21 January which referred to those involved in the work as targets.
There were also claims that staff car registrations had been recorded.
The checks were stopped on Monday after allegations of intimidation
The PSNI have said there was nothing to indicate loyalist paramilitary involvement or that registrations had been taken.
On Thursday a Stormont scrutiny committee heard the former Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots had pushed for his departmental staff to be withdrawn.
He told his senior civil servant there was a duty to protect them and council workers had already been withdrawn.
Officials decided it would be "proportionate and precautionary" to follow suit, even though the police had not provided a threat assessment.
That PSNI assessment has now been delivered to the Agriculture Department.
A spokesperson said it was "currently considering it alongside its own internal risk assessment".
"Any decision to recommence full checks will be informed by both documents."
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