Residents face second day locked out of their homes as bomb squad sniffs out '˜illegal chemicals' in Bridlington

Around 40 homes were evacuated in Oxford Street on Thursday and residents told to pack an overnight bag and not expect to return for 24 hours.

The cordon was suspended on Thursday night, but teams are now due to return to the site, with work expected to finish at 8pm.

A Humberside Police statement read: “Scientists will need to continue on Friday, August 5.
“This is because there is a risk to your safety while they are actively working in the house.

“As a precaution it will be necessary for us to evacuate houses and prevent access again tomorrow. We are striving to allow all residents to get back to normality as soon as possible.

“Whilst it is difficult to give a specific time when activity will be finished, we will aim for 8pm tomorrow evening.

“This incident is linked to a 54 year old man being arrested. We have well established multi-agency protocols and processes in place to ensure public safety and keep disruption to an absolute minimum.

“We must stress to you that we don’t underestimate the impact of asking people to leave their homes. We would like to reassure you that public safety is our number one concern and it is a necessary decision.

“The response from the public has been really positive and we’d like to thank you for your cooperation and continued support, and apologise for all the inconvenience caused.”

Residents say they have been advised to go to Bridlington Spa if they have nowhere else to go.

Police executed a warrant on Thursday morning as part of a pre-planned operation following reports of illegal chemicals being stored at the property.

A resident, who wished not to be named, said: “The street has been cordened off by police and they are attempting to clear some of the road of vehicles.

“Talking to the police, we might have to leave the premises for a considerable period of time. They have told us we could well be out of our homes for a minimum time of 24 hours.

“We have been told they will keep us up to date with any developments.”

A 54-year-old man has been arrested and is assisting police with enquiries. Specialist officers are in attendance as part of the warrant including the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team.

On Thursday, evacuated residents began arriving at The Spa. Carol Small, 61, said: “It’s chaos. “It’s not every day you get someone arrested for having something in their house.”

“I think they have over-dramatised it all. I have a cat back home that I need to see to.”

Another unnamed neighbour, whose wife called him from their Oxford Street home while he was out, said: “Initially my wife phoned me to say they were at the entrance to the man’s house with a battering ram.

“They didn’t use it in the end and had quite a quiet entry. “A few minutes later I saw him handcuffed, coming out of his house.

“Then we saw the Scene Of Crime Officers go in and that’s pretty much it.”