‘As the night went on it got more and more frightening’
RESIDENTS who were evacuated from their homes after an explosion scare in a Derby street have spoken of their shock.
Dan Hargreaves, who is a student, was shocked to find police knocking on his door and telling him he had to leave on Sunday.
He said: “I’ve been in a Premier Inn all night. They didn’t tell me where I had to go. It was all lastminute, I got the essentials for the cold like a coat and hat, but that was it. I was so worried. At first it was just, oh, okay, there’s a couple of police vans. But then as the night went on, you see it on the news, you see in the national news, and you think ‘geez, that’s my street. You know, that’s my street on East Midlands Today.’
“As the night went on it got more and more frightening, I think because it was really serious, and then I think the next thing was wondering when we’re going to be allowed back.
Mr Hargreaves, who hails from Berkshire, described it as a “pretty safe neighbourhood”.
He said: “It’s quite quiet - lots of families, lots of students. I’m a student at the University of Derby, so myself and three others have found their own accommodation over the night, so hopefully we can all come back soon today. But it’s usually quite quiet.
“I took my wallet, my house keys, car keys, hat, coat, my phone is just about to run out of battery, so it’s a good thing I’m allowed back in now because I need to go charge it up.”
A man who gave his name as John said he had booked himself into a Travelodge at around 11pm.
He said: “It was knock on the door, policeman, bomb on the street, evacuate. I knocked my housemates as there are six of us, we all went. We thought it would be a couple of hours, we knew it wouldn’t be quick, but I didn’t think it would be all night.
“We had a few drinks, but it was okay. At least I was with somebody. I felt for the people that don’t have anywhere.
“I paid for the Travelodge with my own money which I’m very fortunate to be able to do, a lot of people may not be able to do that. I know there was the community centre down the road that a lot of people went to, but I opted not to do that.”
He added that not knowing what was happening had made him worried.
He said: “I’m sure the police did everything they could, and obviously the army and bomb squad were there, but as a resident, not knowing what happened, it’s obviously not a very nice feeling. I don’t feel unsafe here. Obviously, this doesn’t happen everyday, I feel safe, it’s just one of those situations that you can’t really anticipate.
“I went to Primark to buy new clothes for work this morning because I only have the clothes on my back and I’m still wearing yesterday’s clothes.
“As soon as I bought them I refreshed the news page and I got told the cordon had been lifted, so I’ve just come back.
“I should have taken a backpack and should have taken a phone charger, but you live and learn. A lot of people weren’t saying much, we just were waiting for more information.”