A FORMER police inspector and his wife were seriously injured yesterday after a powerful parcel bomb exploded as they opened it in their Dundee home.

The couple, Mr Mike Coyne and his wife Margaret, both aged 63, were taken to Dundee Royal Infirmary suffering from multiple injuries.

The bomb was delivered by a national parcel courier firm based in Thetford, Norfolk. A search of the company's depot in England by explosives experts later uncovered two more bombs destined for addresses in Fife and Kent.

Police were last night questioning both intended recipients in an attempt to establish a common link. The three parcels were delivered to the depot by the same person, who is described as being of Asian appearance.

A spokesman for Dundee Teaching Hospitals said Mr Coyne was operated on last night and is now in a ''stable'' condition at Dundee Royal. No condition report was available on Mrs Coyne, but the spokesman added: ''Mrs Coyne is not thought to be any worse than her husband. Her condition is not life threatening.''

In a distinguished police career, Mr Coyne achieved the rank of chief inspector and was an internationally renowned hand writing expert and head of the identification bureau. He retired in 1985.

Neighbours four houses away felt the blast as it ripped through the Coyne home in Lammerton Terrace at around 4.45pm yesterday.

Mr Coyne had worked as a CID officer for Tayside Police before retiring to set up his own detective agency with his wife - working primarily for defence solicitors.

Detective Chief Superintendent Tom Ross said: ''There is no obvious link between the devices other than they were posted by the same person and posted at the same depot.

''We linked immediately with our colleagues in Norfolk and we are trying to establish links with these three recipients.'' He added that the injured couple had no idea why they had received the bomb.

''They are quite clear in saying that they have no idea why they would be targeted in this way at all. We have circulated this incident on a national basis and have told all other forces in the UK, but we have no evidence of any other bombs at the moment.''

The Asian suspect who delivered the three packages to the Norfolk depot was male. Mr Ross added: ''We have no motive established for this crime. There is, in our opinion, no danger to any members of the public and there is nothing to indicate that these packages are in circulation anywhere else.''

The bomb was placed inside a cardboard box and Tayside Police forensic officers are investigating the type of explosive used. It is not yet known how sophisticated the device was.

The bomb shook the street, but there was no structural damage to the house. Emergency services arrived at the scene within five minutes of the blast.

Yesterday shocked neighbour Wilma Sturrock told of her narrow escape. ''My husband is a contractor for TNT. When the van drew up, I assumed the parcel was for me. I had my granddaughter in the house at the time. I went out to collect the parcel and when the driver said it was for the Coynes, I said I would take it if they weren't in. It was such a lucky escape.''

Mrs Sturrock, 49, a cafe owner, said the Coynes were well-respected in the area and were trusted by all their neighbours: ''No-one has a bad word to say about them. Everyone round here is so shocked. It's such a quiet street.''

One of the solicitors who employed Mr Coyne, William Boyle, said: ''This is a tremendous shock. He was an extremely well-regarded police officer and was well respected for his judgement and fairness. He is a fine man.

''He was well thought of by the legal fraternity in Dundee. This is a terrible thing to happen. We can hardly believe it.''

An emergency 999 call sent police, fire and ambulance services to the house shortly before tea time.

When they arrived they found the house had been damaged by the blast with the two injured people inside. Lammerton Terrace is in the north end of Dundee near the Kingsway.

Last night, Army bomb disposal

experts continued their investigations and the house was sealed off by police.

The injured couple were last night conscious, but suffering from shock in hospital. Mr Coyne was reported as suffering a serious groin injury while his wife was suffering neck and abdominal injuries.

A Tayside Police spokesman said last night: ''The explosion was heard several streets away. It was a a significant blast but there was no structural damage to the house in Lammerton Crescent.''

The parcel arrived in the house in a brown package measuring 10 inches by six inches by four inches.

The Army bomb disposal squad was last night sifting through the remains of the package to try to establish what explosive was used to make the bomb.

Mike and Margaret Coyne are well-known faces in the Maryfield area where they have lived for around 30 years. Their detached three-storey stone house has a tidy garden, with a top of the range Toyota saloon car parked outside. The bomb was delivered to the side door.