Blast drama as ‘viable device’ is discovered
A DEVICE which was left in an alleyway and exploded was not believed to be an act of terrorism, say police.
The blast happened in a ginnel between the rear of homes in Farnworth, Bolton.
It sent a wall of flames up above 17ft high fencing but the fire did not catch hold.
GMP and the Army’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal team (EOD) responded to the incident, which residents say happened at 9.20pm on Sunday.
It was in a backstreet off Longcauseway and no one was injured. No arrests have been made and tactical aid officers carried out a fingertip search yesterday of the area which was cordoned off.
In a statement, GMP said: “We cannot say what the device was at this stage. We remain openminded about the motive at this stage but it is not currently being treated as terrorism. The device is still being examined. An area search has been completed and there will be additional patrols in the area to provide reassurance.”
One couple have spoke of the ‘frightening’ moment the explosion took place just behind the hedges at the back of their garden.
Doreen and Tony Cowell witnessed an ‘almighty fire’ and ‘boom.’
The couple were standing in their garden at around 9.20pm on Sunday feeding a hedgehog, when they said they heard a an explosion and saw flames shoot up over their hedges – which stand at around 17 feet tall.
They at first assumed it was a small explosion from a local chip shop – but were shocked to see police and forensics descend on the scene, on a small back road just off Lark Street, between Longcauseway and St Peter’s Terrace, yesterday morning.
“There was a boom, and then the flames went up high above the bushes and it frightened us both to death,” Tony said.
They said the explosion was over in ‘less than a minute’ and with no smoke or obvious damage done to their garden, they went to bed puzzled.
Tony added: “It is frightening to think that it was some kind of device.
“I don’t know what it was doing, who had put it there, who’d set it off. It’s even more frightening due to the fact that people do walk up and down that street.”
Detective Inspector Sarah Bell, of GMP’s Bolton CID, said: “The EOD attended and made the device safe but confirmed it was a viable device.”
Anyone with information should call police on 0161 856 5830 quoting incident 3194 of 01/05/2022. Information can also be reported online or by using the LiveChat function at www.gmp. police.uk.