Residents in UK city street were evacuated from their homes today as bomb squad teams and police descended on the neighbourhood. Many locals at a residential street in Liverpool said their “hearts were going to stop” as an explosion was carried out by the emergency services.
Douglas Road in Anfield was sealed off after police and army teams attended the area when forensic officers uncovered a suspicious substance in a property connected to an ongoing case. Officers have been examining the house for several weeks as part of an investigation into human remains discovered in a flat in St Helens, according to the Liverpool Echo.
Bomb disposal specialists had been on site earlier in full protective gear, and police later confirmed that a “white powder” had been recovered during their inquiries.
At around 4.30pm, a convoy of three Matrix police vehicles and an explosive ordnance disposal van left the scene at speed. Merseyside Police said the substance was being transported for a controlled detonation.
An area of open ground by Otterspool Promenade, about six miles away, was used for the controlled explosion. A man on his daily walk on the promenade said a “large police presence” had arrived at around 4.30pm and asked people politely “to clear the area”.
The man, from Grassendale, said he was told by a police officer that there was going to be a “very, very loud bang”. He said a convoy with blue lights then arrived at around 5pm. The man claimed that as he was walking, he heard an explosion so loud that people nearby said their “hearts were going to stop”.
Merseyside Police had earlier attended Douglas Road at around 2.30pm. Police forensic teams had been at the house in question for over three weeks as part of a wider investigation after human remains were found at a flat in Gerards Court, St Helens, on January 8. A police spokesperson told the ECHO today that the enquiries are connected.
Around 20 properties were evacuated by police officers. A spokesperson said: “The road was temporarily closed, and a number of houses adjacent to the property were evacuated as a precaution while the substance was removed from the property.”
Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service was also in attendance at the scene. A spokesperson confirmed: “[We] attended an incident on Douglas Road, Liverpool, earlier today to assist Merseyside Police. One fire engine was on scene from 15.20 and left at 16.41.”
Detective Inspector Dave Jones previously said: “This is a complex investigation, and as such, we are carrying out several lines of enquiry…It is vital that a full forensic search of Douglas Street takes place to establish if it is relevant to the investigation, and due to the upkeep of the property, that is taking longer than normal.”
