Following a further search of the property where the liquid was found, police said there was "no ongoing risk to the public".

The force has thanked local residents, businesses and the wider community for their "patience and understanding".

The force said: “Public safety will always be our number one priority, and it was important that we took the necessary precautions that we did to ensure the safety of everyone in the vicinity."

Residents in Eastbourne who were evacuated from their properties have started to return to their homes.

BBC reporter Oliver Whitfield-Miocic said roads which were cordoned off have also started to reopen.

Earlier, the bomb squad detonated an unidentified liquid found at a property in Hyde Road on Monday.

Oliver Whitfield-Miocic
BBC South East

A controlled explosion has now taken place of the unidentified liquid, police have told the BBC.

The bomb squad has left the scene. However, the roads that were cordoned off remained closed to residents and traffic.

Oliver Whitfield-Miocic
BBC South East

Image source, Eddie Mitchell

In an update to the press in Eastbourne Sussex Police has said:

• The liquid was found in a bottle in a building previously occupied by squatters which was being cleared out
• Officers hope to get people back in their homes this evening
• There are no links to an incident earlier this year in neighbouring St Leonards
• There is no active threat and the incident is not terror-related
• No arrests have been made and no offences identified so far

George Carden
BBC Radio Sussex

Kudzi Muringani, who lives in Hyde Road in Eastbourne, was evacuated from her home with just a suitcase and a bag.

She said: "I'm panicking. I'm just scared.

"I took my valuables with me because I'm just not sure what's happening.

"It's really sinking in and is a cause of concern".

Ms Muringani said she would be going to stay with her brother or friends.

Image source, Getty Images

The Eastbourne Open tennis tournament will continue as planned in Devonshire Park despite the nearby evacuation, Eastbourne Borough Council leader Stephen Holt told the BBC.

Britain's Harriet Dart is currently taking on reigning Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova on day two of the tournament.

The bomb squad are at the scene and set to manage the safe disposal of the item that prompted the evacuation.

Image source, Eddie Mitchell

Image source, Eddie Mitchell

Image source, Eddie Mitchell

An Explosive Ordnance Disposal team will "attend and manage the safe disposal" of the item that prompted this morning's evacuation, Sussex Police has said.

The force said this would happen once a safety cordon was in place.

Ch Insp Simon Yates added: "We will allow residents to return to their homes as soon as it is safe for them to do so."

Police have asked residents to evacuate Hyde Road, Camden Road, Calverley Road, West Terrace, Bath Road, and parts of Grove Road and York Road.

Image source, BBC/Jacob Panons

Sussex Police have said the incident is currently not being treated as terror-related.

Ch Insp Simon Yates said police had searched the property, where the bottle of "unidentified liquid" which sparked the evacuation was found, and found "no other items of concern".

George Carden
BBC Radio Sussex, Eastbourne

Police "were not sure what was going on" during the early stages of the incident, according to one resident of Hyde Road.

Shahin Negahban told BBC Radio Sussex officers changed their tactics a couple of times throughout the night after shutting his road at about 18:30 BST on Monday.

Mr Negahban said he was initially told he was not allowed to leave his home, though everyone has now been evacuated after being told to leave at 09:00 BST.

But he added: "So far [the police] have handled it well."

Mr Negahban said the evacuation was not something you would expect in Eastbourne.

"Out of all the places I have been to in the world, this is one of the safest. It's a surprise, but we'll just have to wait and see what happens."

Image source, BBC/George Carden

A neighbour of a house being guarded by police said the property had been cleared out over the last few days.

Tracey Westlake lives next door to the address on Hyde Road where the "unidentified liquid" was discovered.

She told BBC Radio Sussex she was feeling "a bit worried [and] a bit scared".

She said she hoped she would return home in a few hours time "if everything goes ok".

Image source, BBC/George Carden

More from our reporter on the ground....

BBC Radio Sussex's George Carden has said police are now closing Grove Road after it was briefly reopened this morning.

He said police community support officers were knocking on flats and businesses asking them to leave.

Pictures from the scene on Tuesday show police next to a cordoned off area in the town.

Image source, BBC/ George Carden

Image source, BBC/George Carden

Image source, BBC/ George Carden

The Conservative opposition leader of Eastbourne Borough Council has said "we will no doubt learn more" about the the nature of the substance.

Robert Smart told BBC Radio Sussex the substance found by police was "potentially dangerous".

However, he said "everybody was going about their business as usual" on Grove Road and traffic was flowing as normal.

Image source, BBC/George Carden

A shopkeeper on Grove Road has said the incident is hitting him financially.

Raj Kasippillai, who owns Boss Man Booze, said he stayed open until 01:00 BST after the road was closed at about 18:30 BST on Monday evening.

But he added: "No customers were coming. There was no business at all. I lost so much money," he told BBC Radio Sussex.

Mr Kasippillai said he was waiting for more news.

A woman living in the evacuated area has said she was "none the wiser" about what was happening last night.

Helen Bailey-Foster, who lives with her pregnant daughter, told BBC Radio Sussex the situation was "a bit nerve-wracking".

After discovering her road was cordoned off last night, she said she was not aware of what was happening until looking at Facebook.

"We were none the wiser," she continued. "Nobody said anything."

"All sorts of things start going through your brain."

Ms Bailey-Foster said she was "hoping and quietly confident" the situation would be resolved "really quickly", though she was unsure of when she could return home.

George Carden
BBC Radio Sussex, Eastbourne

BBC Radio Sussex's reporter George Carden, who is at the scene, said police are conducting house-to-house inquiries and speaking to people in Hyde Road.

He said lots of people are watching curiously from outside the police cordon.

"Residents are leaving from there and [the] surrounding roads with backpacks," he continued, detailing that he had seen one resident with two cat carriers leaving the area.

Here's a picture of the scene in Eastbourne following the evacuation.

Image source, Eddie Mitchell

Image source, Eddie Mitchell

Image source, Eddie Mitchell

Image source, Eddie Mitchell

Eastbourne Borough Council has opened a rest centre accommodation at the Town Hall in Grove Road for affected residents.

"Anyone who needs to visit the rest centre should report to the main reception," it added.

The local authority urged people in the affected area to stay with family and friends if possible.