Three homemade explosive devices found at Brentwood address
A 100-metre cordon in Sawyers Grove has now been lifted
Three small homemade explosive devices have been found at an address in Brentwood, Essex Police has said.
A man and a woman remain in custody on suspicion of offences under the Explosive Substances Act.
Officers were called to Sawyers Grove at around 7.20am on Friday 30th October following reports of a disturbance.
Officers forced entry to an address and detained the man and woman.
A search of the address uncovered three suspicious items.
Cordon and evacuations
Explosive Ordnance Disposal experts were called in, and a 100-metre cordon was put in place as a precaution.
Around 40 nearby addresses were affected, and a number of people were evacuated while the items were assessed.
Explosive Ordnance Disposal experts established all three items were small homemade explosive devices and safely dealt with them.
An extensive search of the address was then carried out to make sure there were no other potentially dangerous items.
Police said this was a challenging and time-consuming process due to the condition of the address.
A number of wraps of suspected crack cocaine were recovered during the search.
Essex Police worked with Brentwood Council to set up a rendezvous point at King George's Playing Fields Pavilion for people who were unable to return to their homes while the work was carried out.
The 100-metre cordon has now been lifted.
Police statement
Chief Inspector Terry Fisher said:
"We fully appreciate the disruption this incident has caused to residents, particularly those who had to leave their homes at short notice.
"The cordon and evacuations were necessary precautions to ensure people's safety while specialist colleagues assessed the items and a thorough search of the address was carried out.
"I'd like to thank everyone affected for their patience and understanding while we worked to make the area safe."
Investigation
An investigation into the circumstances is ongoing.
The man and woman, both in their 40s and from Brentwood, remain in custody for questioning.
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