Overview

• A specialist EOD team carried out controlled explosions on Saturday afternoon, declared the item safe by 11 pm and removed it, allowing residents to return around midnight.
• Hertfordshire Police have launched a live criminal investigation into the device’s origin and maintain a scene guard at the Cowley Hill site.
• About 50 homes were evacuated under a 100-metre cordon on short notice, displacing vulnerable residents including those in container homes, the elderly and disabled.
• Hertsmere Borough Council and Elstree and Borehamwood Town Council operated an evacuation centre at 96 Shenley Road, providing food, clothing and shelter.
• Local leaders have urged residents to rely on official police and council channels for updates after unverified information circulated on social media.