An Army bomb disposal team has carried out a controlled explosion on a quantity of unstable chemicals at a school in Co Tipperary.
The Defence Forces Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team was sent to the Christian Brothers School in Thurles following a request from gardaí.
The team arrived at 7pm and made safe the unstable picric acid which was found in the school laboratory.
A spokesman for the Defence Forces said the chemical was removed to a safe location where it was made safe through the use of a controlled explosion.
The school was evacuated and a nearby road was closed off to traffic throughout. The scene was declared safe at 8.30pm.
Picric acid is more commonly known by its chemical name 'trinitrophenol'. It is routinely used in laboratories around the country that can become unstable over time.