Two men have been arrested on suspicion of manufacturing ammunition without a licence following a major police incident in Stanley, Durham Constabulary has confirmed. The arrests came after a 'suspicious item' was found on Tuesday, leading to the evacuation of 60 homes on Robert Terrace in Shield Row.
Incident details
A large police cordon remained in place on Tuesday after police made the public aware of the incident just after 1.15pm. The incident was also attended by representatives of the County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service, and the North East Ambulance Service, although it is understood that no injuries have been reported in connection with what happened at the scene.
On Tuesday evening, police confirmed that the item had been 'dealt with' by the bomb squad, and the 100m cordon erected in response to the incident was now removed. Police said it was an 'isolated incident', adding that there is 'no wider risk' to those living in the area.
Arrests and recovery
Today, Durham Constabulary confirmed that two men have been arrested on suspicion of manufacturing ammunition without a licence in Stanley. A spokesperson said: "The men, aged 71 and 46, were arrested last night following the search of an address in Robert Terrace, Shield Row. They remain in custody today while enquiries are ongoing."
The spokesperson added: "A quantity of potentially explosive substances – believed to have been used to make homemade fireworks - were recovered from the property and subsequently destroyed. We’d like to thank all residents for their support and patience while we carried out our initial enquiries."
