Explosives, a firearm and drugs were found at a Becket Road house in Worle. The cordon round 153 homes lifted at 6.15am Thursday; a man, 70, is in custody.
Updated 3 October: the cordon was lifted at about 6.15am on Thursday 1 October and residents have gone home. The force has published a fuller account, which changes some of the times we gave on Wednesday night.
Bomb disposal officers removed explosive substances from a house in Becket Road, Worle, on Wednesday night. A room-by-room search then found an air rifle, a firearm and drugs. All were seized.
The 100m cordon around 153 properties was lifted at about 6.15am on Thursday 1 October. Residents were allowed to return home.
A 70-year-old man was first arrested on suspicion of fraud by false representation. He was then further arrested on suspicion of being in possession of explosive substances for an unlawful purpose. On Thursday the force said he remained in police custody.
All of this comes from Avon and Somerset Police’s fuller statement of 1 October and its running updates from Wednesday evening.
How it unfolded
Detectives went to Becket Road at about 11.15am on Wednesday 30 September to make an arrest as part of a fraud investigation. The force’s times from there:
- 12.30pm: an initial search found what officers suspected were explosives, so specialist Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) officers were called
- 1.30pm: the 100m cordon went up
- 2.15pm: EOD arrived on scene
- 7.30pm: EOD entered the house, once the last residents had been evacuated from the cordon
- 6.15am Thursday: the cordon was lifted
On Wednesday night the force’s updates said the bomb disposal unit had “arrived” at 7.30pm. Its fuller statement says the team was on scene from 2.15pm but could not start searching until the cordon was clear. Superintendent Jen Appleford said the delay came from “issues with evacuating individuals from within the cordon”.
The second search near Hewish
The house search led police to what the force calls “another location of interest”. It was a non-residential site off the A370 near Hewish, a few miles east of Worle. An EOD unit went there on Thursday morning. The force says the searches finished at about 10am, were “negative”, and the team has left.
Where residents went
North Somerset Council and the police set up a rest centre at Castle Batch Community Centre. It later moved to The Campus in Weston-super-Mare. In a late update on Wednesday the force said NHS and council staff were arranging support for people who needed medical attention.
Some residents had pets still inside the cordon overnight. The force acknowledged their concern but said its “primary focus is public safety”. It also thanked local businesses that offered food and support to people who had been moved out.
What the police have said
Superintendent Appleford, who leads policing in North Somerset, said “what began as a routine arrest attempt” became a response involving police, fire and ambulance services, the military’s bomb disposal unit, the NHS and the council.
“While we recognise that evacuating your home is significant, it is an essential part of incidents of this nature,” she said. EOD teams “are unable to conduct their searches until the cordoned area has been made safe”.
On Wednesday night the force said it believed this to be “an isolated incident”.
What it means for you
- If you were evacuated, you can go home. The cordon has been lifted and the force has not asked anyone to stay away.
- The arrests are not charges. The man has been arrested on suspicion of two offences. The force has not said anyone has been charged.
Becket Road is in North Worle, on the eastern side of Weston-super-Mare. The council’s works on Worle High Street begin on Monday 5 October; we covered the road changes that start that day. Our roadworks and travel page carries the wider picture.
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