Bomb team find explosive powder

The house was cordoned off while police investigated

Explosives experts found several suspicious devices and home-made explosive powder in the search of a house in a Hampshire village.

People living in four streets in the village of Baughurst were forced to leave their homes as a precaution.

A 100m cordon was put in place around the house in Wellington Crescent after a man was arrested.

The affected residents stayed at Hurst Community College, but were allowed home just after 0100 GMT on Sunday.

The house was cordoned off and Hampshire police officers kept guard overnight.

Man arrested

The police action followed the arrest of a man, in his 20s, on suspicion of causing criminal damage, over an unrelated matter.

A spokesman for Hampshire Police said: "There is no intelligence that this arrest is connected to terrorism, nor is it connected to any others such as animal rights type groups."

Two army bomb disposal teams, 25 police officers, three fire engines and two ambulances were on standby at the village, north of Basingstoke.

They went in, looked through the house, found some white powder, some small, what looked amateurish, explosive devices Ch Supt Paul Netherton

Ch Supt Paul Netherton, from Hampshire Police said: "When we consulted the Army, they said we ought to start evacuating, so we evacuated about four or five streets around the area, moved people out of the houses into a local school.

"They - the military - then went in, looked through the house, found some white powder, some small, what looked amateurish, explosive devices.

"They made them safe. Once the area was safe, people could go back into their houses again."

Locals Ken and Margaret Grinstead had to leave their home and spent three hours at the school with about 50 other people.

Mr Grinstead said there was camaraderie amongst the evacuees.

"There was quite a lot of humorous comment, laughing over this and that.

"I mean, no-one was really upset, I think."

Officers were expected to be at the scene most of Sunday.