St Leonards incident to continue into the weekend

The chemical incident near St Leonards seafront continues as multi-agency partners work to safely bring this incident to a close.

On Friday afternoon (21 March) the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team desensitised the chemicals found in the property on the A259 Marina and they are conducting a thorough search of the property for any further hazardous material.

The scene is not safe until this search has been completed in full and this will continue into tomorrow.  Public safety is our priority and the 100-metre cordon remains in place. We will allow residents to return to their homes as soon as it is safe for them to do so.

We understand how unsettling it is for the 73 people displaced but thank the public for their patience and understanding. We continue to liaise with Hastings Borough Council at the rest centre at Royal Victoria Hotel.

Hastings marathon is due to take place this weekend and event organisers will provide an update as soon as possible, as we continue to work closely with them and other partners to safely bring this incident to a close.

Chief Inspector James Scott said: "We appreciate there has been a degree of uncertainty but this is a live incident and we are updating people as we have the information.

“Keeping people safe remains our priority.

“We understand there is speculation around the circumstances of this incident, however we can confirm that the chemicals are not part of any large scale drugs production and the incident is not believed to be terror-related.”

A 28-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of producing illegal substances and making an explosive substance for an unlawful purpose. He remains in custody at this time.

The declaration of a major incident allows emergency services and other partner agencies, through the Sussex Resilience Forum, to work together effectively to keep the public safe.