Residents spend night away from Derby homes after major incident

Residents evacuated from 200 properties in Derby have spent a night away from their homes after a major incident was declared and two men arrested on suspicion of explosives offences.

People were told to leave their homes on Thursday after Derbyshire Police executed a warrant following intelligence about the contents of a house in Vulcan Street.

Two men – one in his 40s and the other in his 50s – were arrested on suspicion of explosives offences, and are currently in custody.

The force said it was not being treated as a terrorist incident and there was “no wider threat to the community”.

Police said a controlled explosion was carried out at around 16:00 GMT on Thursday, with Derby City Council confirming that accommodation had been arranged for affected residents for Thursday night “and the coming days”.

The entirety of Vulcan Street was covered by the evacuation zone, as was Reeves Road and Shaftesbury Crescent.

Harrington Street, from Holcombe Street to Vulcan Street; Baseball Drive, up to Colombo Street, and Cambridge Street and Shaftesbury Crescent at Reeves Road were also included in the exclusion zone.

Residents were able to access their homes for a short period until 08:00 on Friday, following confirmation from British Army officials that it was safe to do so.

Superintendent Becky Webster thanked residents for their “understanding and response.”

“Being asked to leave your home in such circumstances is naturally worrying and the support from emergency services has been excellent,” he said.

Police confirmed that the Salvation Army Rest Center in Osmaston Road was closed on Thursday night after the people who were being given assistance there had all left.

The force said anyone requiring assistance should attend the Pakistani Community Center at 103 Harrington Street, where council staff will be on hand to help.

Speaking on Friday morning, Gary Robb of the Salvation Army said the community response had been “excellent”.

“Obviously it’s a stressful time for them but we were able to provide a calming environment and provide some compassion in that crisis,” he said.

Amjad Ashraf, who runs a Pakistan community centre, said about 50 families had arrived on Thursday afternoon, and told the BBC that many had found alternative accommodation for the night.

“We reassured everyone that if you have nowhere to stay with friends or family, Derby Homes are on site and they will put people up in hotels.

“The community in the Normanton area always mobilizes quickly to provide that support.

“We have the Gurudwara which is also on Harrington Street that provided refreshments and some food. We had volunteers who came together to provide emotional support, a little hand-holding and that is mainly needed in times like these,” he said.

Amy Anderson, who lives in Shaftesbury Crescent and is six months pregnant, told the BBC she spent the night at her mother’s house with her son and said she felt like she was “shaking”.

He said, “I’m hoping we’ll be able to come back today, but I left the property thinking we’d be able to come back last night, so I really don’t know.”

Ms Anderson said she was “very lucky” to be able to stay at her mother’s house and she knew some neighbors were put up in hotels for the night.

Police said a multi-agency meeting was scheduled to take place at 08:00 and once the briefing took place, a further update would be issued.

Derbyshire Police said the two men arrested were Polish nationals.

A police spokesperson told the BBC it released the information in line with national guidance encouraging forces to disclose the ethnicity and nationality of suspects to tackle misinformation.