Overview
- Officers executed a warrant at a Meadgate Avenue property, which on Tuesday evening led to the arrest of a 34-year-old man from Chelmsford and a 33-year-old woman from Ongar.
- Searches at the address identified items that required specialist focus, prompting the evacuation of nearby homes and the establishment of a 100-metre cordon as a safety precaution.
- Early on Wednesday the cordon was lifted after one suspicious item was recovered from the property without incident.
- Both suspects remain in custody on suspicion of an offence under Section 4 of the Explosive Substances Act 1883 and Essex Police have said the investigation is not related to terrorism.
- Police said specialist teams will continue to examine recovered material and that they will provide further updates when practicable, while residents who were evacuated were temporarily displaced for safety.