Man arrested following explosion in Pound Bank Road, Malvern

A 50 metre police cordon has been placed around the house, with road closures in place.

West Mercia Police Superintendent Kevin Purcell said: "Residents in neighbouring houses have been evacuated as a precaution and a scene guard has been put in place.

"We would like to reassure the community that we are not treating this as a terrorist incident and thank everyone for their patience and understanding."

A 20 year old man arrested yesterday on suspicion of possessing an article to cause an explosion and causing an explosion remains in custody.

Residents have described an explosion in Malvern as ‘louder than 50 rockets’ at a firework display.

Last night, three homes were evacuated at around 9.50am following a blast in an alleyway between Pound Bank Road and The Glade.

Police officers raided a house on Langland Avenue after the blast and found a suspicious substance, and a police cordon was put in the alleyway.

A 20-year-old man was arrested on Langland Avenue, but nobody was injured and no buildings were damaged, the blast is not believed to be linked to terrorism.

A resident of Pound Bank Road who had her home evacuated but did not wish to be named said: “I have never heard anything like it. Someone thought it was a firework, but I told her it was much louder than that.

“I have been to firework displays and heard 50 rockets going off at the same time but this was much louder.

“There was a bomb disposal team here and everything, police told us to leave our houses and to shut all the windows, when we came out the alleyway next door was engulfed in smoke.

“We were allowed back in our houses at around 1am.”

Yvonne Broad, another resident of the road, who did not have her home evacuated said: “It was quite scary, particularly with what happened in Manchester last week.

“It really did shock me, I have never heard a noise like it.”

Resident Jill Tandy added: “I was sceptical to come out of my house to see what was happening at first after hearing the blast, it was scary.

Superintendent Kevin Purcell of West Mercia Police said: "Throughout the night investigations have been ongoing to establish exactly what occurred and what level of threat there was to our communities.

" At this stage, I am able to confirm that the man arrested and the location are not connected to any terrorism related matters. The man remains in custody.

"While we are keeping an open mind, one of our lines of enquiry is that this was a case of misadventure albeit with a criminal element.

"Officers responded promptly to this incident to ensure the safety of local people. Initially we did not know what we were dealing with so we took every necessary precaution.

"The cordon has now been lifted and people have been allowed to return to their homes, however a scene guard remains in place.

“I'd like to thank the community for their vigilance and their patience and support while we managed the incident."

Inspector Gareth Lougher said: "We would like to thank people for their patience while we deal with this incident and we would urge people to avoid the area."

If anyone has any information, call 101 and quote incident 788s of 29 May 2017.

Alternatively, information can be provided anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or via www.crimestoppers-uk.org