Three explosive devices found as police detain man and woman in Essex

Police have lifted a cordon after bomb disposal experts dealt with explosive devices found following reports of a disturbance in Essex.

Officers were called to Sawyers Grove, Brentwood, at around 7.20am on Friday after reports of a "neighbour dispute".

After police forced entry to an address, several "suspicious items" were found, prompting a 100-metre cordon to be put in place.

Around 40 nearby properties were affected, with a number of residents evacuated, Essex Police said.

"Explosive Ordnance Disposal experts established all three items were small homemade explosive devices and safely dealt with them," the force said on Friday evening.

A man and a woman - described by police as white British nationals in their 40s and from Brentwood - were detained on suspicion of offences under the Explosive Substances Act. They remain in custody in questioning.

Police said a number of wraps of suspected crack cocaine had also been found during a search of a property.

They called it a "challenging and time-consuming process due to the condition of the address".

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"We fully appreciate the disruption this incident has caused to residents, particularly those who had to leave their homes at short notice," said Chief Inspector Terry Fisher.

"The cordon and evacuations were necessary precautions to ensure people's safety while specialist colleagues assessed the items and a thorough search of the address was carried out.

"I'd like to thank everyone affected for their patience and understanding while we worked to make the area safe."

Police said their investigation into the incident was ongoing.

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