'Worried' residents evacuated from their homes were 'frantically packing bags' after 'suspected hazardous materials' were uncovered at a house in Stockport with police declaring a major incident.
Forensics, fire crews and specialist explosives units swarmed Middleton Road in Reddish on Thursday (June 1) as a house was inspected and huge cordons were erected amid the investigations.
Throughout the day the areas taped off expanded to around 100m as nearby residents claimed they were instructed to 'pack an overnight bag' and were evacuated from their homes and directed to Life Leisure Houldsworth Village as they were told it was unlikely they could return home.
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A 50-year-old man was later arrested and taken into police custody and was held under Section 4 of the Explosive Substances Act. The force announced that 'suspected hazardous materials' had been discovered after a property was searched in response to intelligence about the manufacture of illegal fireworks.
Those evacuated were asked to stay with family and friends, but those with no alternative accommodation were directed to the leisure centre and told it was 'unlikely' they could return to their homes on Thursday night.
Eyewitnesses have told of the chaotic scenes as emergency services first flooded the quiet residential street as others told of their 'worry' and 'shock' at the incident as they hastily packed their bags to leave home.
One resident, who lives on Middleton Road told the M.E.N: “It started early this morning, about 10 o’clock, I woke up to it all. There were fire engines, police, and it’s just unravelled all day. I went to the shops a few times and the fire service guys told me it was nothing to worry about, this and that.
“But it escalated to them closing the whole road, the army turning up and the police knocking on the door asking us to evacuate.
“It was about 4:30pm and the officer said we needed to evacuate. I left about 5pm and have come to family. They did say the council would put people up if needed and they didn’t know how long it would be but they told us to pack an overnight bag.
“It’s a bit of a shock really but then again nothing much these days shocks you. It’s just a really nice road though normally and everyone gets on really well and speaks to each other. As long as everyone is alright that’s all that really matters.”
Pictures from the scene showed a huge emergency services presence in the surrounding area, including forensic and bomb disposal vehicles as a number of other nearby roads were evacuated.
One woman living on Betley Road, which backs on to Middleton Road, added: "They said they are recommending that people living in the immediate vicinity are evacuated. And obviously we won’t be going against that.
“So we’re now just frantically packing bags. We’re just really shocked. The thing that annoys me is that this has apparently been going on since 10 o’clock this morning but it’s not until gone 4pm in the evening that we hear about this for the first time.
“They have said it might be overnight, it might be a few hours, it might be one than one night. It’s really unsettling. A friend of mine has also been asked to evacuated and she has lots of pets so she’s panicking.”
Silver Commander Chief Inspector Jamie Collins said: “We understand this news will have caused some concern in the community, not just amongst the residents who have unfortunately been displaced. Our highest priority is keeping people safe which is why we have put a cordon in place, evacuated properties and warned members of the public to avoid the area.
"This has understandably caused some disruption and, though we are not yet in a position to confirm when the area will return to normal, further updates will follow throughout the evening. I would like to use this opportunity to thank the community for their cooperation and patience.”
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