Ben Pawlowski
THERE was chaos in Gibraltar on Monday evening after the border with Spain was shut following the discovery of a suspicious package at the tiny British Overseas Territory’s airport.
Queues of cars and walkers extended for miles on the Rock’s exit roads after the Royal Gibraltar Police (RGP) closed the frontier at 6.30pm local time.
A bomb disposal squad from the RGP attended the scene where they found an unattended backpack.
Officers carried out two controlled explosions on the suspicious object, which was later confirmed to be luggage left behind by a traveller.
Every day, over 10,000 Spanish residents cross the border into Gibraltar to work.
The temporary closure comes amid a looming deadline to thrash out a post-Brexit treaty between the UK and Spain in a bid to maintain the frictionless movement of people and goods between Gibraltar and the Spanish mainland.
No treaty is currently agreed, with hopes that a deal can be signed before November 10, the start date for the EU’s new Entry Exit System.
