Residents Thanked As Controlled Explosion Carried Out In Eastbourne

Roads have reopened and residents are able to return to their homes following a controlled explosion in Eastbourne town centre.

Police attended Hyde Road alongside Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) teams on Monday evening (23 June) after a bottle of unidentified liquid was found by contractors during a house clearance.

EOD assessed the item and following consultation with partners, it was agreed a planned evacuation of homes would take place on Tuesday (24 June) to allow for the safe disposal of the item.

Residents from around 160 properties were safely evacuated from the area and an 85m cordon was put in place as a precaution.

EOD teams have now carried out a controlled explosion of the item and a further search of the property where it was found, and are satisfied there is no ongoing risk to the public.

As a result, the cordon is being lifted and residents in affected properties will be able to return to their homes. The roads that had closed have also now reopened.

Chief Inspector Simon Yates said:

“I’d like to thank local residents, businesses and the wider community for their patience and understanding. It is thanks to their cooperation, and the support of our partner agencies, that we have been able to bring this incident to a swift and safe conclusion.

“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.

“The item has been safely destroyed and disposed of and no further items of concern have been found inside the property. We are not treating this as terror-related and it is not believed to be linked to any other incidents in the area.”