Police sealed off Bitterne Park roads on Wednesday lunchtime (May 14) from outside the primary school as far as Woodmill Lane, as what was described as a "suspicious package" at a property at the bottom of Dimond Road was dealt with.
One onlooker told bitternepark.info she thought the package had been found in the alley off the lower part of Dimond Road, and it was reported that a robot had been used in the alley by navy bomb disposal officers.
A bomb disposal vehicle was parked at the bottom section of Dimond Road, close to Manor Farm Road, which was also closed to the public, and ambulances and fire appliances as well as more police were close at hand, parked at Riverside Park behind the sports pavilion, with three police cars also stationed further along behind the social club.
The primary school confirmed there had been no concerns for any children's safety, and children were let out to play as usual at lunchtime, and seen doing sports activities in the field behind the school in the afternoon. At one point buses were being diverted with other traffic, including a hearse, from Oaktree up Dimond Road - although police later stopped drivers making that right turn and they had to turn round completely.
The bomb disposal vehicle left the scene at around 3.30pm, and were later seen with police in the Bond Road area. Traffic restrictions near Dimond Road were lifted. It was widely reported that an arrest of a 41 year old male was made - and subsequently a further arrest.
- Bomb disposal experts were also called to Bitterne Park in December, when material thought to be explosive was found in a shed behind shops at the other end of Manor Farm Road, on The Triangle.
