BOMB SQUAD BACK IN WIGAN

A BOMB disposal team was deployed in Wigan for the second time as police search a property linked to the Manchester attack.

Springfield Street was evacuated last Thursday after the discovery of “potentially suspicious items”.

Yesterday, a Royal Logistic Corps bomb disposal unit returned to the road.

Residents said they were evacuated from their homes for about an hour before the police cordon was lifted at about 5pm.

Greater Manchester Police had asked people to avoid the area.

Officers have been at the address since Wednesday evening, following the arrest of a man who was said by witnesses to be carrying a suspicious package.

One neighbour, who did not want to be named, said police had been searching the flat, inside a terraced house, since last week.

He said: “They’ve been here all through the weekend.

“At the beginning they were taking bin bags of stuff out but in the last few days we’ve just seen forensics officers in white suits going in and out.”

The man said he had been at home about 4pm on Tuesday when police told him to get out of his house.

He said: “They moved us down to the bottom of the road and then we saw the bomb squad come flying in.”

Residents were taken to a nearby church while the bomb disposal unit was at the scene.