Routine police check in Rochdale descends into chaos as streets shut off and homes evacuated

It was the routine welfare check that descended into 'chaos'. No one could have predicted what would unfold as police first arrived on a residential street in Rochdale this afternoon (February 15).

Officers were responding to concerns for a person's welfare at a property on Ashfield Road. But after police entered the house, they made a discovery which sparked a mass evacuation, with the 'bomb squad' being called out.

One neighbour told the Manchester Evening News she was warned of a 'potential threat', but police could not tell her what that was. She said: “They said to me, ’go for your own safety’. It was chaos.”

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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 due to the cordon.

“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.”

The M.E.N. understands concerns were sparked following the discovery of Second World War-era weapons. It's understood these included rifles and grenades.

One neighbour said: “It’s an eye-opener. It just makes you wonder if they didn’t go off now how long had they been there?”

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