A suspicious package on Wednesday led to the evacuation of a North Wales plant that manufactures the COVID-19 vaccine for AstraZeneca, police said.

Police closed off roads leading to the plant and dispatched a bomb disposal squad, officials said.

The plant prepares vials of AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine, which was co-developed by Britain's Oxford University, for distribution.

AstraZeneca said the plant was partly evacuated due to a "suspicious package."

"The safety of our employees and business continuity remain of paramount importance," the company said in a statement.

The plant was approved to produce 300 million vaccine doses per year and 150,000 vials a day.

"We are working with local police and the military to find out more," Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford tweeted.

"Thank you to the security personnel who are on-site to protect lives and ensure the safety of our vaccine supply."

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson visited the plant in November.

Copyright 2021 United Press International, Inc. (UPI). Any reproduction, republication, redistribution and/or modification of any UPI content is expressly prohibited without UPI's prior written consent., source International Top News