Evacuation after police find 'explosive material'
An 18-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of offences under the Explosives Act
- Published
A number of houses have been evacuated in Preston after police searched a house and found "potentially explosive material".
The evacuation followed a pre-planned search warrant at a property in Cottam Avenue, in the Ingol area, at around 14:00 BST, where officers found "items of concern".
Lancashire Police said an 18-year-old man had been arrested on suspicion of offences under the Explosives Act and is being questioned.
Army bomb disposal experts are on the scene to assess the suspect items and a cordon is in place.
The force said the evacuation was necessary "as a precaution".
Ch Supt Chris Hardy said: "It is expected the response at the scene will last into this evening and I want to thank residents who have been affected for their support and cooperation while we go about our work.
"We appreciate that this will be concerning for the local community, but we want to reassure all residents we are working extremely hard with all our partners to make the address safe and bring this matter to a swift conclusion."
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