Haresfinch residents return to their homes as police find more than 70 explosive devices

More than 200 homes were evacuated on Tuesday (June 24), on Chadwick Road, Litherland Crescent, Roland Avenue, Finchley Drive and Woodlands Road, after the device was discovered following the non-suspicious death of John Nelson, 64.

Mr Nelson lived alone and is believed to have led quite a reclusive lifestyle.

Merseyside Police say he had in his possession some wartime memorabilia and devices (which may have belonged to his father who was a member of the Home Guard), as well as detonators and other items.

The cordon remained in place until Friday evening (June 27) while Merseyside Police carried out their search of the property.

Over the course of four days, Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) carried out a methodical and extensive search of Nelson’s home, where they discovered a number of items.

These items included:

• More than 70 improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
• Four conventional munitions.
• More than 300 conventional fireworks and pyrotechnics.
• More than 35 firearms, including crossbows and small arms.
• A number of booby traps.

Merseyside Police has confirmed that a series of safe detonations of the IEDs were carried out at Eccleston Field and the EOD have stated they have cleared the property and garden of anything of concern.

Speaking after the lifting of the police cordon, Superintendent Matthew Moscrop said: “The list of items recovered by the EOD shows why they had to ensure that everything within the property was removed and will hopefully show residents why the cordon was put in place as public safety was paramount.

“The risk of the IEDs alone demonstrates the potential danger posed to the public.

“Added to this, the house presented a challenging environment for our EOD colleagues as Mr Nelson had hoarded various items over the years which hampered them as they meticulously worked through these items to ensure any potential dangers were removed and made safe.

“A number of items were also found in the garden and as a result a thorough search of the garden and shed had to take place. The garden was unkept and overgrown and again presented further challenges for the search.

“Due to the items found, the search had to be carried out properly and safely.

“We are under no illusion about the impact the last few days have had on all the residents who have been displaced. We know it will have impacted on their day-to-day lives and the simple things like taking their children to school, walking and feeding their pets and enjoying the comforts of home.

“Local authority staff and PCSOs provided a vital service for those affected at Chain Lane Community Centre and provided people with urgent medical needs with immediate assistance.

“Support was also given to families with pets so they could retrieve pets that had been left behind. Due to the nature of what was in the house we were only able to facilitate those most urgent requirements.

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“The majority of residents have been able to stay with family and friends, and we thank them for their understanding and the support they have shown their loved ones.

“It has demonstrated very clearly the strength of community spirit in Haresfinch and beyond, and while this has been an incredibly tough week for everyone, I hope we will be able to reflect on the way so many people stepped up to the plate to support those in need when it mattered most.”

Supt Moscrop also praised the efforts of the emergency services to make the area safe over the course of the four days.

He added: “Here at Merseyside Police, public safety is always our number one priority and we simply would not have allowed people to return to their homes when a threat to their safety, and indeed their lives, remained.

“All the emergency services at the scene (Merseyside Police, Merseyside Fire and Rescue and North West Ambulance Service), the EOD and St Helens Council, have worked tirelessly this week and the motivation of all those agencies throughout has been to keep residents safe.

“We are extremely grateful to the EOD for their work this week, working as quickly as they could to make the property safe and return the surrounding streets to normality.

“I know there will be lots of questions remaining in the community, and over the coming days and weeks we will look to get those answers as our police enquiries at the scene continue.”

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