Residents in Eastbourne town centre have returned to their homes after a major evacuation operation was stood down, following the discovery of a suspicious liquid at a property on Hyde Road.
The alarm was raised at 5:27pm on Monday, 23 June, when Sussex Police were called to investigate a bottle containing an unidentified substance. An Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team was deployed as a precaution.
Evacuation of 160 Homes
In response, police evacuated approximately 160 homes across several roads on Tuesday (24 June), including:
- Hyde Road
- Camden Road
- Calverley Road
- West Terrace
- Bath Road
- Parts of Grove Road and York Road
An 85-metre safety cordon was established around the scene. A rest centre was set up at Eastbourne Town Hall by Eastbourne Borough Council to support displaced residents, with officers conducting door-to-door evacuations.
Area Declared Safe
By late Tuesday afternoon, the EOD team had completed their assessment and confirmed that no further threat was posed by the substance.
A Sussex Police spokesperson said:
“The scene in Hyde Road, Eastbourne, has now been declared safe and residents have been allowed to return. The EOD team has completed their work and confirmed there is no ongoing risk to the public. We thank everyone for their patience during this disruption.”
Not Terror-Related
Chief Inspector Simon Yates earlier confirmed:
“This incident is not being treated as terror-related, and no other items of concern were found during the property search. Public safety has remained our top priority.”
Police have asked anyone with lingering concerns or further information to contact 101.
