Man’s body found before ‘bomb’ alert
THE body of a man was found in a home in Rochdale - with bomb disposal experts then scrambled to the scene after ‘replica guns’ were found.
Police were first called to Ashfield Road on Thursday afternoon following reports of concern for a person’s welfare at a property.
The Observer understands that tragically, a man was found dead inside his home by a family member.
After officers arrived on the scene, as is routine procedure, they discovered a number of what appeared to be Second World Warera weapons inside the property.
The Explosive Ordinance Disposal unit was called and a number of houses on the street were evacuated ‘as a precaution.’
The items found were later identified as replica guns, the Observer understands.
No further details on the man who was found have been released at this stage.
Neighbours described their shock as the street was evacuated.
One woman said: “They said to me, ‘go for your own safety.’ It was chaos.”
Another neighbour had left her home to pick up her sister. When she returned, her house had been surrounded by police, with her parents still inside - and unable to leave.
“It was scary and a shock,” she said. Her sister added: “We couldn’t get anywhere and no one was telling us anything. We were just stranded.”
Another resident discovered the news when her son called her at work. She was told the street was being evacuated and the ‘bomb squad’ was there.
The woman left work immediately, fearing for her 15-year-old granddaughter, who was inside the house. “I was scared,” she said.
“When my son rang me, she would have just come
back from school. I dropped everything and rushed home. I rang her and told her to ‘just get out the house.’ My worry was to get her out.”
Firefighters were also called to the scene. The evacuation took place at around 4pm, but it’s understood officers first arrived on the scene earlier in the afternoon.
In an initial statement, a Greater Manchester Police spokesperson said: “Responding to a concern for welfare at a property, officers discovered a large amount of suspicious items inside.”
The spokesperson added homes were evacuated ‘as a precaution,’ and the Explosive Ordinance Disposal unit was ‘tasked to attend
the scene and inspect the property.’ In a further statement at around 6.30pm, a GMP spokesperson added: “A cordon around the Ashfield Road area of Rochdale has now been lifted.
“Thank you to residents for their cooperation while the emergency services carried out their duties. Police enquiries into this incident are ongoing.”