Residents out of homes for third day over device

Residents are facing a third day out of their homes after a suspected explosive device was found by police.

On Monday morning people living on or near Suffolk Avenue in Christchurch were forced to leave. The device was removed from inside the property in the evening.

Resident Rob Carter, who has been staying in a hotel with his wife, said there were "probably 50-100 people out of our houses", adding: "No one has any information, everybody is completely in the dark."

Dorset Police said a 50m (164ft) cordon remains in place while further searches are carried out and two men and a woman arrested on suspicion of firearms offences remain in police custody.

Carter said when police knocked on the door and told his wife to evacuate it was expected to be for about a couple of hours... "but a couple of hours became the rest of the day".

"People were waiting to be let back into their houses, some were sat out next to the cordoned off area until about midnight waiting to be let back in... but it never happened," he told the BBC.

"Practically it's awful, you've got food going off in the fridge, and we're having to eat out - it's no small expense."

He added residents were having to queue up and wait at the cordon to be allowed back into their homes one at a time briefly to feed pets.

Dorset Police said: "We would once again like to thank everyone for their patience and understanding while the cordon is in place.

"We know this is disruptive to the local community and we are really grateful for everyone's support."

On Tuesday, a BCP Council spokesperson said: "In partnership with Dorset Police, we advised affected residents who could not find alternative accommodation to phone the council's out of hours team for help finding appropriate support.

"No residents contacted the council via our designated phone number to request assistance.

"The council remains ready to help residents make alternative arrangements this evening, if the incident is still ongoing."