Court cases yesterday ground to a halt for two-and-a-half hours in the morning before the day’s work load could even begin after two successive bomb threats were received.

The threats, which have taken on even more significance following the explosion at the Transport Malta building on December 2 which left Major Peter Ripard without a leg, caused frustration, anxiety and major disruption to proceedings.

Bogus bomb threats like yesterday’s are a regular occurrence but two in succession are not.

The first phone call was made at about 9.20 a.m. and after a thorough search by the bomb disposal team and their trained Alsatians, staff and the public were allowed to re-enter the building, only to be told to exit once again a few minutes later.

Lawyers expressed dismay at losing a day’s work and people who were either witnesses or had turned up for their own cases said it was extremely frustrating to have taken a day off work only to be told to go home.