Overview
- Police found a suspected explosive device in a parked car on Sherwood Avenue and called an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team late on Friday 30 October.
- EOD technicians used a remote-controlled robot, a water disruptor and a bomb-suit-clad specialist to render the device safe, an operation that triggered a sudden car fire during the breach attempt.
- Officers set a 100-metre cordon and carried out door-to-door evacuations, allowing residents to return after the scene was declared safe in the early morning hours.
- Dorset Police said technical examination on Monday confirmed the item was not a viable explosive, searches at a linked Park Homer Drive, Colehill property found no devices, and no arrests have been made.
- Local people raised concerns about the delay in clearing the burnt vehicle, visible screws and ball bearings in the boot, and the risk that an unwatched wreck could have compromised evidence or public safety.