Residents have spoken of their shock after being evacuated and forced to remain out of their homes for several hours after suspicious substances were discovered during a police raid.
The drama unfolded after officers executed a warrant at a house on Longridge, a large residential estate just outside Knutsford town centre, at around 7am this morning (Monday).
Police said a 'number of unknown substances' were discovered which caused them concern. More emergency services including firefighters, paramedics and the army's bomb disposal unit, the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) were called in.
Six people - five men, aged 23, 24, 24, 29 and 58 and a 22-year-old woman -were arrested. They remain in police custody for questioning.
A 100-metre cordon was put in place with residents at 110 homes in the immediate vicinity being asked to leave their homes whilst experts assessed the material. The cordon was lifted and they were finally allowed back into their homes shortly before 5pm. Those living inside the cordon spoke of their shock as police banged on their doors and told them they would need to leave.
Reitred former soldier Mike Williamson, 67, said officers called at his home nearby at around 10am and told him they were evacuating everyone in the immediate area because ‘explosives had been found in one of the houses.'
Mike spent seven years in the forces including spending time in Northern Ireland in the 1970s. “I was used to seeing the bomb disposal unit but you don’t expect to them on your street in Knutsford on a Monday morning" he said. "The police are round here quite often and always seem to be raiding somewhere, but this is a bit different.”
Mike spent time at a friends before heading to a rest centre which was set up at Knutsford Leisure Centre. “The people dealing with it seem to have it under control. You’d rather be safe than sorry. You just want everyone kept safe" he said, speaking before the cordon was lifted.
He said: “I was used to seeing the bomb disposal unit but you don’t expect to them on your street in Knutsford on a Monday morning. The police are round here quite often but this is a bit different.”
Mike says he has spent time at friends and had come back to see when they’ll be allowed home, but has been told not yet so is now heading to the rest centre at Knutsford Leisure Centre.
He added: “The people dealing with it seem to have it under control. You’d rather be safe than sorry. You just want everyone kept safe.”
David McDonald, 64, says an officer knocked on his door at around 9:30am. “He said ‘they’d raided a property and found devices.’ They didn’t say what they were but said we needed to evacuate.”
He said he was told it would be ‘a couple of hours at most' and said he was 'frustrated' after returning around 3:30pm to find the cordon still in place. “I’m a plumber and I working in away at Cornwall tomorrow. I was supposed to be setting off at 2am and I need my car and my tools. I’m asthmatic as well and all my medication is in the house" he said.
“I’ve lived here all my life," he said. “I know all the people. And I’ve never known anything like this before. So it was a bit of a shock" he added.
Viola Borsi, 26, said: "It’s been a surprise. We recently moved to the estate, it seemed quiet. Never imagined anything like this would be happening. I can’t even imagine what would have happened if police didn’t come to the scene this morning."
A woman who did not want to be named, who lives just outside the cordon but has family who lives inside said: "I looked out of my house this morning and thought ‘what’s going on?’
"Mine wasn't evacuated but I didn’t want to chance it. It’s just really odd. I don’t know what to make of it. Especially having family there, you just don’t know what they’ve been living near."
Cheshire Police said the substances were still unknown but said experts had said it was safe for residents to return home. A cordon remains in place around the raided property.
In an update this evening, the force said: "Following assessment by experts we can now confirm that it is safe for residents in the Longridge area to return home and the 100m cordon has been lifted. Six people remain in custody at this time. Officers will remain in the area to provide reassurance."
Further details will be provided when available" they added.
