73 residents still cannot return home after explosive chemicals found at house
Police thanked the public in St Leonards for their patience during an ‘unsettling’ time.
Residents evacuated from a St Leonards street have not yet been able to return to their homes following the discovery of explosive chemicals in a property.
A 28-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of producing illegal substances and making an explosive substance for an unlawful purpose after police were called to the A259 Marina road in the East Sussex town on Thursday.
A major incident was declared on Friday while an operation continued to make the chemicals safe.
A Sussex Police spokesman said: “The chemical incident near St Leonards seafront continues as multi-agency partners work to safely bring this incident to a close.
“On Friday afternoon (March 21) the explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) team desensitised the chemicals found in the property on the A259 Marina and they are conducting a thorough search of the property for any further hazardous material.
“The scene is not safe until this search has been completed in full and this will continue into tomorrow.
“Public safety is our priority and the 100-metre cordon remains in place.
“We will allow residents to return to their homes as soon as it is safe for them to do so.
“We understand how unsettling it is for the 73 people displaced but thank the public for their patience and understanding.
“We continue to liaise with Hastings Borough Council at the rest centre at Royal Victoria Hotel.”
The spokesman added that an update on the Hastings Half Marathon, which is due to be run on Sunday along the road, would be provided as soon as possible.
Chief Inspector James Scott said: “We appreciate there has been a degree of uncertainty but this is a live incident and we are updating people as we have the information.
“Keeping people safe remains our priority.
“We understand there is speculation around the circumstances of this incident, however we can confirm that the chemicals are not part of any large-scale drugs production and the incident is not believed to be terror-related.”
