'They said we should leave the house' - Fear and confusion as bomb scare forces families from their homes

Families living on one Wigan council estate awoke this morning to the shocking sight of an army bomb disposal team outside their homes.

People in houses around Vulcan Road, in the Marsh Green area of the town, were forced to leave their properties behind after police discovered a 'suspicious item and suspicious chemicals' inside a flat.

Officers raided the home as part of an ongoing investigation, but what they found inside caused major concern.

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A bomb disposal squad was called in, alongside firefighters, with paramedics on hold at the scene.

And, after the suspicious items were discovered at around 8.20am this morning (February 26), a large cordon was set up around the flat in question.

One family with a young child, living on nearby Heyford Road, recounted the experience of being told they would have to evacuate their home.

"We didn't really see much but the police came round about 10am this morning and at first they told us we weren't close enough to have to leave," a member of the family explained.

"But, they came back later and said things had escalated.

"They said we should leave the house."

Those that were forced from their homes were offered shelter by Wigan council at a makeship evacuation centre at nearby Robin Park Leisure Centre.

Following the police raid at the flat, officers arrested three men aged between 20 and 25 and held them in custody throughout the day for questioning.

However, at around 3.30pm, after the army's Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team had spent several hours investigating, authorities deemed it safe for residents to return to the area.

"I didn't know what was happening until police