Whole Merseyside street evacuated after grenade found

Police closed off the whole area for several hours

Residents in a whole Merseyside street were evacuated after a grenade was found and later detonated by police in a nearby park.

The grenade was found outside a home on Millbrook Drive in Kirkby at about 10:20 BST on Wednesday.

Officers set up a cordon with the street closed to pedestrians and cars and homes evacuated as a precaution.

The grenade was "safely detonated" in nearby Millbrook Park and residents returned home at 14:00.

No further detail about the circumstances of the discovery were revealed by police and there were no arrests.

Ch Insp Simon Owen, of Merseyside Police, said: "We have made extensive enquiries at the scene, speaking to potential witnesses and exploring all CCTV opportunities in the area.

"Thankfully this incident was swiftly brought to a safe conclusion, but such weapons clearly have the potential to cause very serious injury or worse.

"At this very early stage of the investigation, we are keeping an open mind about a motive.

"I want to appeal to anyone who saw anybody acting suspiciously in the area of Millbrook Drive on Tuesday evening or early Wednesday morning to contact police."

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