A PRISONER sparked a security scare after vanishing from his cell in a busy court.

The man was behind bars in the cell area of Airdrie Sheriff Court after being brought from prison by security firm G4S on Wednesday.

But custody staff raised the alarm after they opened the cell door to find he had apparently vanished into thin air. Police surrounded the building and the man was found.

G4S Prisoner Escorting Operations Director Willie Galloway said: “The matter was reported to the police and will be investigated further.

“At no point was the person in custody outwith the cell holding area. ”

A Scottish Courts Service spokesman said: “SCTS can confirm that there was an incident in the cell area of Airdrie Sheriff Court.

“It is now under police investigation and we cannot comment further.”