Leeuwarden’s mayor Ferd Crone told a news conference on Sunday he will do all he can to ensure the makers of a fake sea mine which was found floating in one of the city’s canals on April 1 are tracked down.



The discovery of the mine on the Westersingel canal led to a 300m exclusion zone and residents being warned to keep windows and doors closed. Explosives experts were brought in and preparations were also taken to evacuate the area.

The mine turned out to be made of polystyrene. According to the Telegraaf, the emergency services considered from the start the mine may have been an April 1 joke but did not want to take any risks.

Costs

Crone says if the mine’s makers are found, they will have to pay for the emergency operation.

Police in the town of Lochem in Gelderland have also begun an investigation into an April 1 joke. There, a suspicious package was left in front of a former synagogue which has now been turned into a cultural centre.

A number of people were evacuated before the package was revealed to be a fake bomb.

Photo: Novum