A CHATTERIS man arrested on suspicion of making or possessing explosives has been bailed.

The 33-year-old was arrested shortly before midday on Friday after police swooped on a house in Ash Grove, a quiet cul-de-sac off High Street. He has been bailed until March 3.

Police dogs, a bomb disposal unit and a specialist search team were called to the incident. Investigations took place inside the property and in a nearby garage.

Detective Inspector Dave Murphy, from March Police Station, said: “We arrested a man under Section Four of the Explosives Act. The bomb specialists were called in to negate any risk.

“There were materials in the house that we were concerned about, although it is possible that they could be kept legally.

“We erred on the side of caution and got the experts in. We found a significant amount of material and we needed to assess it.”

The arrested man – who is thought to be of Far Eastern nationality - was taken to Huntingdon Police Station for questioning.

At this stage police insist they are not sure of the scale of the alleged offences - the act under which the man has been arrested deals with a broad range of explosives offences.

One part of the act deals with possessing explosives which “give rise to a reasonable suspicion” that they are not being held lawfully.

One resident of Ash Grove said: “I only came back to take the dog for a walk and I find that all hell has broken loose.”