South Yorkshire Police says a cordon remains in place on Mapplebeck Road in the High Green area of Sheffield, after nearby households were told to leave their homes on Tuesday evening while specialists carry on searching a property linked to an explosives investigation.
Officers have had a presence at the address since 11 September, the force said, following a forensic search that led to a 36-year-old woman appearing in court on Monday, charged under Section 4 of the Explosive Substances Act 1883 and remanded in custody.
Police say the decision to move residents out came after specialists uncovered further hidden items on the site the following afternoon, with the Army’s Explosive Ordnance Team now leading the operation; nobody has been hurt.
The affected zone spans roughly 100 metres around the property, with closures covering Mapplebeck Road itself plus Griffiths Road, School Road, Worrall Road, Beechwood Road, Hawthorne Road, Entwhistle Road and Greenwood Road, and, according to the BBC, nearby Greengate Lane Academy has also shut as a result.
Legal restrictions
A senior officer leading the operation acknowledged the disruption caused to residents, stressing that legal restrictions around the ongoing case limited what could be said publicly but that every step taken was for people’s safety, with the search proceeding cautiously to avoid endangering lives or property.
South Yorkshire Police said Sheffield City Council had stepped in to help those forced out, arranging somewhere to stay for anyone who couldn’t rely on friends or family, and helping people access medication or other health needs while displaced.
According to the BBC, resident Tina Martin said she had “time to get some stuff together, get my pets” before moving in with her daughter, while another local woman described her father being evacuated the same evening and taking shelter with relatives nearby. The BBC also reports that displaced residents can reach Sheffield City Council on 0114 293 0111, and that the woman charged is due back at Sheffield Crown Court on 22 September.
Complex search
As of Wednesday afternoon, South Yorkshire Police and Sheffield City Council issued a joint update confirming the cordon, evacuation and road closures remain in place, with the complexity of the search meaning officials still cannot say whether residents will get back into their homes this evening.
People affected are being told to plan for a further night away as a precaution, with no specific timescale yet available for a return, though the agencies involved say they’re working together to move things forward as carefully and quickly as the situation allows.
Anyone needing help with accommodation or housing can contact Sheffield City Council on 0114 293 0111.
