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Two military grenades and “unidentified chemicals” have been found by police in Suffolk, leading to more than than 60 homes being evacuated.
Officers from Suffolk constabulary made the discovery on Sunday afternoon while executing an arrest warrant at a property in Lowestoft.
Police set up a 100-metre cordon around the property shortly before 1pm while an army bomb disposal team, supported by Suffolk fire and rescue crews, made the site safe.
A man in his 50s has been arrested on suspicion of possession of a firearm and remains in police custody.
The force said: “On arrival at the premises, police conducted a search of the property and recovered a quantity of unidentified chemicals and two military grenades inside the premises.”
It added that the outer cordon was later lifted and only the property where the items were discovered, as well as three other neighbouring properties were inaccessible to the public.
Chloe Marie Cullen, 23, had to leave her flat on neighbouring Normanston Drive. She told the BBC: “I heard lots of sirens then I saw the police walking up the road towards the house, but I stayed calm as they seemed to have it under control.
“The police told me to pack an overnight bag as there’s a chance we might not be able to get back in this evening.”
Shaun Waters, the landlord of the Norman Warrior pub in the town, said a number of local residents had headed to the pub to seek refuge. “They’ve been told to go to the sports centre for the night, but a lot are waiting to be picked up by family instead,” he told the BBC.
“It was a bit of Blitz spirit at first but now people are starting to think about work [on Monday] and not being able to get back to their houses.”
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