Bombs found inside house

Residents of Buckingham Crescent were told to leave their homes as Army bomb disposal experts carried out controlled explosions.

A 35-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of theft from heritage and protected sites and was being held in police custody last night.

The explosives discovered could have been dug up from battlefields as far away as France and Belgium and then shipped back to Britain, it is believed.

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The practice of excavating items without permission, known as nighthawking, is illegal.

Neighbours said police arrived in the street at about 6am.

Part of the haul found in St Albans

Residents said they were told to leave their homes at about 9am and later reported seeing an Army explosives robot go into a house at about 11am.

A loud bang, believed to be a controlled explosion carried out by experts from the Royal Logistic Corps, was heard from the house at about 1.30pm.

One neighbour, who did not want to be named, said: “We didn’t know him [the man arrested] that well, but we did take in parcels for him – quite a lot were from Germany.

“My mum woke me up early, at about 4am, because something was going on. There were loads of police and later on people from the Army.

“I have never seen something like this before, it’s scary.” 

Another resident said his wife had seen Army personnel in the garden of the raided house in the early afternoon. 

He said: “They have been digging in the garden and looking in the shed of the house. 

“The Army have been all over the garden and my wife just mentioned to me that forensics have turned up and we have been asked if we can put sandbags in the garden.” 

Police said the raid on the property was linked to the discovery of a large number of firearms and explosives in St Albans, Hertfordshire, on Wednesday. 

Det Sgt Pete Frost of Hertfordshire Constabulary said: “I can confirm that the Thames Valley incident is linked to our investigation and the warrant that was executed on Wednesday in St Albans.” 

Buckingham Crescent resident Maciej Ogrodnik said: “There are about six or seven police cars and they won’t let anyone go into the road apart from residents. 

“They haven’t told us there is a bomb or anything.” 

Sandbags were delivered to the area at about 11.30am and an Army bomb disposal van, two sniffer dogs and a bomb disposal robot were on the scene most of the day. 

Twenty-eight-year-old Leigh Gooch was one of the residents forced to leave their homes. 

He said: “I guess it just shows you don’t know what is next door. 

Army experts outside the home

“I never in my wildest dreams thought they could come across this. I have been worried all day.” 

Thames Valley Police Chief Supt Amanda Pearson said a number of First and Second World War munitions had been found but police were still trying to determine how much there was. 

She said: “These controlled explosions pose no threat to the general public. As a precaution we have evacuated a few properties in close proximity. 

“The seizure will take some time to process all the items recovered. We have experts in place to deal safely with the items recovered.” 

Officers said the cordon would remain in place in the coming days while the joint police/Army investigation, continues. 

Det Insp Steve Raffield 

Det Insp Steve Raffield of Thames Valley Police said while there are no plans for further explosions, nothing could be ruled out. 

British Red Cross volunteers and staff were called to the street at about 11.30am to offer practical and emotional support to those who had to leave their homes.

The team of five offered refreshments and Internet access from a specially-adapted vehicle.

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