Seaside town lockdown with streets evacuated after bombs discovered inside home

Four streets in a seaside town were evacuated due to fears of bombs inside a home in the area. A bomb disposal team was at the scene in Margate, Kent, and one man has been arrested.

Last night (October 8), Kent Police evacuated residents on four streets after being called to an address in Rosedale Road with concerns raised about items contained inside a flat at 4pm. A cordon was put in place, and an Explosive Ordnance Disposal team from the Ministry of Defence was called to the scene to inspect the items. Homes in Glencoe Road, Wharfedale Road and Malham Drive were evacuated along with those in Rosedale Road. Thanet District Council is "managing residents' welfare" and Hartsdown Leisure Centre is "being used to assist this process". Kent Police confirmed that a person has been arrested and is being held in custody. It added: "A person has been arrested in connection with the incident and taken into custody." Thanet councillor Jack Packman has urged residents who are affected by the incident to seek help and said the incident is being dealt with "carefully and professionally".

He said in a statement: "The police have been in contact with us this evening regarding their presence on Rosedale Road. They have identified some items that require specialist examination, and as a precaution, a small number of nearby homes have been temporarily evacuated.

"At this stage, there is no cause for concern, and the situation is being handled carefully and professionally. We will share further updates as soon as more information becomes available.

"If anyone who has been asked to leave their home needs assistance or support, please don't hesitate to call or message me."

He added: "There are also teams on site and at the evacuation point working hard to ensure everyone affected is safe and well looked after. Thank you for your patience and understanding."

Local resident Liam John, 28, reportedly said: "It happened about 3.30pm. I returned home from work, and there were police at my door, and they said we had to evacuate because there were suspicious items in a property.

"I think everyone was just shocked that there were loads of police and a bomb squad. It looks like I'm going to be on the street tonight, so yeah, there's not much I can do really."