Major incident evacuation plan for Edinburgh centre Published duration 22 November 2011

image caption The council has put a major incident evacuation plan in place in Edinburgh

Residents living in Edinburgh city centre are being urged to make up a "grab bag" of essential items as part of a major incident evacuation plan.

The special bag should include medication, car and house keys, cash and bank cards, glasses or contact lenses and items for children.

People are also urged to store next-of-kin details in a mobile phone, wallet or purse under the note ICE.

ICE stands for 'in case of emergency' for people looking for details.

The city centre area is roughly bordered by Haymarket, Queen Street, Regent Terrace and the Grassmarket, and includes locations such as Calton Hill, Edinburgh Castle and Holyrood Park.

The population in the area is estimated at 70,000 although this increases significantly during the summer.

All businesses in Edinburgh are also being urged to make sure they are geared up to evacuate parts of the capital in exceptional circumstances.

Evacuation process

They are being told to identify evacuation assembly points, make transport arrangements, give support for vulnerable groups and make arrangements for communications.

Dave Anderson, Edinburgh City Council's director of city development, said: "Although Edinburgh has seen a number of incidents over the years, including major fires and building collapses, there has never been a widespread evacuation in the city and we hope this plan will never be required.

"However, being ready for the unexpected is sound business practice and we urge all organisations in Edinburgh to ensure they have arrangements in place to help them cope with disruptions to their normal operations."

Ch Supt Gill Imery, of Lothian and Borders Police, said: "Public safety is paramount and we have always had plans in place to deal with emergencies.