DESPICABLE HOAX BOMB SCARE HALTS CHRISTMAS EVE SHOPPING
Despicable hoax bomb halts Christmas Eve shopping
by Olga Bradshaw
SHOPPERS in Omagh who should have been rushing home with their presents on Christmas Eve, instead found themselves rushing from the town in panic, as yet another bomb scare forced people out of shops and offices.
Just a handful of hours before retailers should have been pulling down the shutters on what was to have been their busiest and most successful day's trading, a bomb scare forced most shops to close early.
Condemning those responsible for what turned out to be a hoax, an Omagh-based police inspector, who was at the scene, said the perpetrators had shown a total disregard for the people and traders, and their actions had been despicable.
"Hoax bomb calls by their very nature are designed to put people in fear," he said.
"That such an incident took place in Omagh on Christmas Eve perhaps the busiest shopping day of the year is an indication of the total disregard and the level of contempt these despicable individuals have for the whole community," he said.
Two West Tyrone Assemblymen, Mr. Joe Byrne and Mr. Oliver Gibson, have also been swift to condemn the incident.
Mr. Byrne said he was in town on Christmas Eve and felt there was a great atmosphere and a great crowd out in force shopping.
"It, obviously, was very disturbing that, at about 3.30pm, police started moving people away from Market Street and announced that there was a bomb scare.
"I would totally condemn this. I think it is terrible that somebody either acting alone or with others, would try to disturb Omagh on a day when the town was very much back in business," he said.
Annoyed
He continued: "I feel very annoyed that Omagh shopkeepers on the busiest day of the year had to close their shops early and obviously did lose a considerable amount of business and income.
"There was a wonderful atmosphere in Omagh on Christmas Eve and, indeed, people remarked to me that it was the best atmosphere they had experienced on a Christmas Eve in the town for almost five years," he said.
Fellow Assemblyman, Mr. Gibson described the hoax as infuriating and devastating for the business people of Omagh.
"It was also infuriating to the people of Omagh who had come into the town to shop and support local businesses in their thousands. What was devastating to everyone was that, at the height of the Christmas season, the feeling of good cheer and goodwill in the town was suddenly evaporated," he said.
Town councillor, Mr. Paddy McGowan, who was shopping in Omagh at the time of the hoax, said there was sheer disgust among all those who had to be evacuated.
"Their fear was beyond belief," he said.
Mr. McGowan went on: "I had just looked around and saw the crowds of people on the streets, and thought it was just like the good old days.''
He said that those who made the call were "not even human", and commended the work of the police in clearing the streets.
"They have to take these things seriously," he added.
Buoyant
Speaking to the Tyrone Constitution just hours before the bomb scare forced shops the length of the town to close, retailers had been in buoyant mood, reporting full shops and a brisk trade.
Some said it had been their busiest Christmas since the Market Street bombing of August 15, 1998.
Shoppers venturing back into Omagh this year had found the shelves bulging with a wide range of traditional and fashionable gift ideas for the ones they love.
It had been a good Christmas season for local traders, who say they had noticed an up-swing in the numbers of people opting to stay at home and shop rather than leave the town.
Across the board, from jewellers to florist, menswear to crockery, the tills had been ringing out a happy message for the traders of Omagh, who had not always enjoyed the best in terms of trade.
For staff and management at Classic Menswear at Market Street, they enjoyed their busiest Christmas since the August 15 atrocity in 1998, and manager, Mr. Robbie Watson, said they had certainly noticed that things had "started to pick up again".
"People seem to be shopping a lot more in town. Certainly over the last few days a lot of customers have come to us, and those are people who have stayed with us, which is heartening," he said.
Mr. Watson said a lot of vouchers had been bought, which was testament to the strength of the business, and which he believed people had confidence that could expect to get what they wanted.
With the sale having started yesterday (Thursday), Mr. Watson said all stock not sold in the run-up to Christmas would be included in the annual sale.
It was a case of busy, busy, busy, on Christmas Eve at Menary's Fashions, where everything from warm winter woollies to designer kitchenware was selling like hot cakes in the run-up to Christmas.
With some great offers available in the January sales, which got underway yesterday, the manager, Mrs. Aileen Parke, said she did not expect things to slow down.
Despite the noticeable upturn in trade experienced by shops this year, Mr. Frankie Bradley, of Fairway Stores, and a member of Omagh Traders, said that he still felt that some were travelling out of Omagh to shop instead of staying at home.
He said that people complained that there were no big 'multiples' in Omagh, but despite the lack of buzz at times, his shop had been relatively busy.
At Watterson Bros, meanwhile, Mr. Tom Watterson, manager and owner, said that all the latest fashion crazes and new colours for the season sold well.
Like other shops in town the sales got underway on Thursday, and staff at the long established family store had worked flat out earlier in the week to ensure that when doors opened for the post-Christmas rush, all was well under control.
Food halls and large supermarkets have had the Christmas tills ringing out loud and clear this year again.
'Brilliant'
One manager, Mr. Eugene Teague, who oversees the business at Safeways at Dromore Road, said that the store had enjoyed the best Sunday trading ever on Sunday of last week, describing it as "brilliant".
He said that there had been nothing extraordinary in terms of sales, with traditional lines in food and seasonal fayre selling as well as ever.
There' was no one particular brand of toys that is big with children this year, he said, but the sale in candles and other Christmas items had vanished off the shelves.
A similar picture emerged at Supervalu, where the manager, Mr. John Wallace, said that things were going fairly well, particularly with reference to seasonal fresh foods.
The toy department at the store had been doing well, but with no big sellers this year, there had been no one toy that was top of the hit parade as far as sales were concerned.
However, there has been a definite swing towards electronic toys, play stations, games and accessories, while traditional toys such .as pedal tractors were experiencing a downturn -although there was still a market for them.
At Dunnes Stores the food hall has been experiencing a good trade, and according to the manager of that department, Mr. Stephen Clawson, it has been a very good Christmas.
"We can see it in our figures. People are definitely coming back into Omagh to shop," he said.
He said trade was good right across the board, and with the sale due to start in the food hall on Sunday they expected trade to remain brisk.
Mr. Cathal Austin, who is in charge of the drapery and household section, said trade had also been brisk in his. department with all things domestic and seasonal enjoying a pleasing turn around.
Menswear had also sold well, he said, as had items in the lingerie department, and with up to 50 per cent off in the sales from Saturday, staff were going to remain busy.
The manager of Iceland, Mr. Gareth Thomas, said things had also gone well with him this year, and there had been the last minute rush, as usual.
"Things have gone really well this year and sales are up, so we are very pleased. A lot of our traditional ranges went well, including turkey crowns and party fayre for buffets. Freezers and fridges have also sold well," he said.
The sale got underway at the store yesterday, and there is the promise of a number of new promotions to come the following week.
Jewellery, always a good seller, again proved a popular choice, with good quality silver, top of the list of gifts.
Mr. Tony Laird, of Laird's at Bridge Street, said, that across the board there had been a steady trade in precious metals and gems, glass and other quality gifts.
Florists in the town also found themselves snowed under with bouquet orders and deliveries keeping staff at full tilt to the last minute.
by Olga Bradshaw
SHOPPERS in Omagh who should have been rushing home with their presents on Christmas Eve, instead found themselves rushing from the town in panic, as yet another bomb scare forced people out of shops and offices.
Just a handful of hours before retailers should have been pulling down the shutters on what was to have been their busiest and most successful day's trading, a bomb scare forced most shops to close early.
Condemning those responsible for what turned out to be a hoax, an Omagh-based police inspector, who was at the scene, said the perpetrators had shown a total disregard for the people and traders, and their actions had been despicable.
"Hoax bomb calls by their very nature are designed to put people in fear," he said.
"That such an incident took place in Omagh on Christmas Eve perhaps the busiest shopping day of the year is an indication of the total disregard and the level of contempt these despicable individuals have for the whole community," he said.
Two West Tyrone Assemblymen, Mr. Joe Byrne and Mr. Oliver Gibson, have also been swift to condemn the incident.
Mr. Byrne said he was in town on Christmas Eve and felt there was a great atmosphere and a great crowd out in force shopping.
"It, obviously, was very disturbing that, at about 3.30pm, police started moving people away from Market Street and announced that there was a bomb scare.
"I would totally condemn this. I think it is terrible that somebody either acting alone or with others, would try to disturb Omagh on a day when the town was very much back in business," he said.
Annoyed
He continued: "I feel very annoyed that Omagh shopkeepers on the busiest day of the year had to close their shops early and obviously did lose a considerable amount of business and income.
"There was a wonderful atmosphere in Omagh on Christmas Eve and, indeed, people remarked to me that it was the best atmosphere they had experienced on a Christmas Eve in the town for almost five years," he said.
Fellow Assemblyman, Mr. Gibson described the hoax as infuriating and devastating for the business people of Omagh.
"It was also infuriating to the people of Omagh who had come into the town to shop and support local businesses in their thousands. What was devastating to everyone was that, at the height of the Christmas season, the feeling of good cheer and goodwill in the town was suddenly evaporated," he said.
Town councillor, Mr. Paddy McGowan, who was shopping in Omagh at the time of the hoax, said there was sheer disgust among all those who had to be evacuated.
"Their fear was beyond belief," he said.
Mr. McGowan went on: "I had just looked around and saw the crowds of people on the streets, and thought it was just like the good old days.''
He said that those who made the call were "not even human", and commended the work of the police in clearing the streets.
"They have to take these things seriously," he added.
Buoyant
Speaking to the Tyrone Constitution just hours before the bomb scare forced shops the length of the town to close, retailers had been in buoyant mood, reporting full shops and a brisk trade.
Some said it had been their busiest Christmas since the Market Street bombing of August 15, 1998.
Shoppers venturing back into Omagh this year had found the shelves bulging with a wide range of traditional and fashionable gift ideas for the ones they love.
It had been a good Christmas season for local traders, who say they had noticed an up-swing in the numbers of people opting to stay at home and shop rather than leave the town.
Across the board, from jewellers to florist, menswear to crockery, the tills had been ringing out a happy message for the traders of Omagh, who had not always enjoyed the best in terms of trade.
For staff and management at Classic Menswear at Market Street, they enjoyed their busiest Christmas since the August 15 atrocity in 1998, and manager, Mr. Robbie Watson, said they had certainly noticed that things had "started to pick up again".
"People seem to be shopping a lot more in town. Certainly over the last few days a lot of customers have come to us, and those are people who have stayed with us, which is heartening," he said.
Mr. Watson said a lot of vouchers had been bought, which was testament to the strength of the business, and which he believed people had confidence that could expect to get what they wanted.
With the sale having started yesterday (Thursday), Mr. Watson said all stock not sold in the run-up to Christmas would be included in the annual sale.
It was a case of busy, busy, busy, on Christmas Eve at Menary's Fashions, where everything from warm winter woollies to designer kitchenware was selling like hot cakes in the run-up to Christmas.
With some great offers available in the January sales, which got underway yesterday, the manager, Mrs. Aileen Parke, said she did not expect things to slow down.
Despite the noticeable upturn in trade experienced by shops this year, Mr. Frankie Bradley, of Fairway Stores, and a member of Omagh Traders, said that he still felt that some were travelling out of Omagh to shop instead of staying at home.
He said that people complained that there were no big 'multiples' in Omagh, but despite the lack of buzz at times, his shop had been relatively busy.
At Watterson Bros, meanwhile, Mr. Tom Watterson, manager and owner, said that all the latest fashion crazes and new colours for the season sold well.
Like other shops in town the sales got underway on Thursday, and staff at the long established family store had worked flat out earlier in the week to ensure that when doors opened for the post-Christmas rush, all was well under control.
Food halls and large supermarkets have had the Christmas tills ringing out loud and clear this year again.
'Brilliant'
One manager, Mr. Eugene Teague, who oversees the business at Safeways at Dromore Road, said that the store had enjoyed the best Sunday trading ever on Sunday of last week, describing it as "brilliant".
He said that there had been nothing extraordinary in terms of sales, with traditional lines in food and seasonal fayre selling as well as ever.
There' was no one particular brand of toys that is big with children this year, he said, but the sale in candles and other Christmas items had vanished off the shelves.
A similar picture emerged at Supervalu, where the manager, Mr. John Wallace, said that things were going fairly well, particularly with reference to seasonal fresh foods.
The toy department at the store had been doing well, but with no big sellers this year, there had been no one toy that was top of the hit parade as far as sales were concerned.
However, there has been a definite swing towards electronic toys, play stations, games and accessories, while traditional toys such .as pedal tractors were experiencing a downturn -although there was still a market for them.
At Dunnes Stores the food hall has been experiencing a good trade, and according to the manager of that department, Mr. Stephen Clawson, it has been a very good Christmas.
"We can see it in our figures. People are definitely coming back into Omagh to shop," he said.
He said trade was good right across the board, and with the sale due to start in the food hall on Sunday they expected trade to remain brisk.
Mr. Cathal Austin, who is in charge of the drapery and household section, said trade had also been brisk in his. department with all things domestic and seasonal enjoying a pleasing turn around.
Menswear had also sold well, he said, as had items in the lingerie department, and with up to 50 per cent off in the sales from Saturday, staff were going to remain busy.
The manager of Iceland, Mr. Gareth Thomas, said things had also gone well with him this year, and there had been the last minute rush, as usual.
"Things have gone really well this year and sales are up, so we are very pleased. A lot of our traditional ranges went well, including turkey crowns and party fayre for buffets. Freezers and fridges have also sold well," he said.
The sale got underway at the store yesterday, and there is the promise of a number of new promotions to come the following week.
Jewellery, always a good seller, again proved a popular choice, with good quality silver, top of the list of gifts.
Mr. Tony Laird, of Laird's at Bridge Street, said, that across the board there had been a steady trade in precious metals and gems, glass and other quality gifts.
Florists in the town also found themselves snowed under with bouquet orders and deliveries keeping staff at full tilt to the last minute.
Further Information
Publisher: TYRONE CONSTITUTION
Ref: TC/0973
Published Date: 28-Dec-01
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