Gervase Avenue: Bomb squad called out and flats evacuated over "suspicious items" reported in Lowedges

A police cordon is in place at a residential area in Lowedges following the army’s bomb disposal unit attending overnight.

The Explosive Ordinance Team (EOD) attended Gervase Avenue last night (August 10) following reports of “suspicious items” found inside a property.

Nearby homes were evacuated as a precaution, and have remained empty so far today.

Part of Gervase Avenue is closed with a large police cordon in place around some footpaths, grass areas, and homes.

A spokesperson for South Yorkshire Police said the road closure is expected to remain in place until Monday.

They add: “Please avoid the area. Thank you for your patience and co-operation. We will provide an update as soon as possible.”

Residents say the bomb squad was on the scene for around 12 hours, not leaving until 5:20am this morning.

One woman, who lives close to the cordon, said: “When they arrived, I thought someone was having furniture delivered!

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“We haven’t seen much about it online. I feel a bit trapped.”

Some people can only exit their properties from one side, due to doors on the other side opening into the cordon.

UPDATE: (Monday, August 12): Police shared on X on Sunday, at 5:30pm, that the road has been reopened. Local residents who were evacuated have been advised they can return to their homes. A small cordon is now in place at the property involved in the incident.