A MAN has admitted making a hoax call that led to thousands of shipyard staff being evacuated over a bomb scare.

Michael Turnbull admitted he gave false information to a member of staff at the shipyard that led bosses to fear there was a bomb onboard a submarine at the site.

Nearly 2,000 staff were evacuated on April 10 2019 but staff later returned once the bomb threat was established to be a hoax.

The defendant was working as a Royal Navy engineer at the site, South Cumbria Magistrates’ Court heard previously.

Turnbull pleaded guilty to causing a person to hold a false belief there was a bomb on one of the submarines.

The court heard he had made the report of the bomb to shipyard worker John Haslehurst.

Turnbull, of Easington Lane in Sunderland, is due to be sentenced for the offence at Preston Crown Court on October 5.

He had denied the offence at previous court hearings, while an application from his solicitor to withhold publication of his identity on the grounds of national security was previously denied.

On the day the call was revealed as a hoax following a thorough search of four boats.

In a previous hearing at South Cumbria Magistrates’ Court, prosecutor Lee Dacre said the incident put production at BAE Systems back eight days and government ministers as well as the Royal Navy had been keeping track of events on the day.

He said all the boats had to have critical systems quickly shut down.

“It caused an eight-day delay to what is a critical national security asset,” Mr Dacre said.

A BAE Systems spokesman said at the time of the incident: “Following an extensive sweep of the Devonshire Dock Complex (DDC), including the four Astute class submarines in build, nothing suspicious was found.

“The situation is being managed in accordance with normal procedures and we expect to be able to close the incident shortly.

“Our first priority is always the safety of employees, the site and local residents so in accordance with our emergency procedures, we made the decision to release personnel from the DDC earlier today.

“This is a well-exercised procedure and was purely precautionary.”

Police and paramedics were called to the yard at at around 9.20am on the day in question.

BAE launched its fifth Astute submarine HMS Anson earlier this year.

A further two boats are under construction at the shipyard, while work on Dreadnought class submarines also takes place.