Homes evacuated following warrant in Derby

A major incident has been declared as around 200 homes are being evacuated as a precaution following a warrant at an address in Vulcan Street, Derby.

#UPDATE | 17:00 – 05.12.25

Work continuing to ensure residents can return to properties as soon as possible

People in the Vulcan Street area of Derby remain evacuated from their homes this evening.

Work is urgently taking place by the Explosive Ordnance Division to ensure that the area is safe before people can return.

Accommodation is available for residents this evening in hotels if required. If you are aware of people living within the cordon, please contact them and reassure them that this accommodation is available.

Superintendent Becky Webster said: “I would like to reassure the residents that have been disrupted and have been required to evacuate their homes, that we, together with our partner agencies, are doing all that we can to ensure they can return home as quickly as possible.

“I realise that this is a huge inconvenience, but we must ensure that the area is safe prior to anyone returning.

“Thank you again to the local community for rallying around and providing support, whether that be making food or providing essentials for families.

Updates will be issued when more information is available. 

 

#UPDATE | 14:00 – 05.12.25

Searches are continuing at a house in Derby

The Explosive Ordnance Division remain on site in the Vulcan Street area of Derby, conducting searches at a house.

Superintendent Becky Webster said: “At this time there is no update as to when residents can return to their homes, but we remain hopeful that this will be today.

“We will continue to issue updates as soon as we have them.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank the local community and volunteers who have come together and supplied food and toiletries to residents evacuated from their homes.”

If residents have any concerns regarding medication, they can visit Shaftesbury Crescent, north car park, where there are medical professionals available to assist and advise.

A further multi-agency meeting is planned at 4pm where the situation will be reassessed and any update will be provided. 

#UPDATE | 10:00 – 05.12.25

Homes remain evacuated in an area of Derby this morning whilst searches continue.

Searches at properties in the Vulcan Street area of Derby are continuing this morning and a multi-agency response remains in place.

Residents that were asked to leave their homes have stayed in hotels overnight and this accommodation is still available.

A cordon remains in place and people will not be allowed to access properties today until further notice.

The Pakistani Community Centre remains open as a contact point for anyone in the area. Derby City Council have public protection officers and colleagues from their neighbourhood teams working in the area to provide reassurance.

If residents have any concerns regarding medication, they can visit Shaftesbury Crescent, north car park, where there are medical professionals available to assist and advise.

A further multi-agency meeting is planned at 1pm where the situation will be reassessed and any update will be provided.

The two men arrested yesterday remain in police custody whilst investigations continue.

#UPDATE | 22:00 | Residents from properties evacuated in Derby today will be able to access their homes tonight – however, they will not be able to stay overnight.

We have been contacted by a number of people who, for various reasons, require access to their homes.

You will be able to access your property between 10pm and 8am tomorrow (5 December). After that time you will not be able to enter the cordon.

The ability to access properties follows confirmation from British Army officers from the Explosive Ordnance Division that they are happy for people to return temporarily, in a managed and safe manner.

The key points that people need to be aware of if they require access to their homes are:

- You must attend the car park at the bottom of Cambridge Street – where an officer will take your details.
- You will be escorted to your property by an officer. Be aware that you may be required to walk to your property via a longer route due to the cordons in place.
- You will be signed in and out of the cordon – you must enter and exit from the same location with the officer that is escorting you.
- Time in your property will be limited. Please be prepared to gather the items you need quickly.
- If the items are not urgent, please consider whether you really require them to ensure that you and officers are not put at risk unnecessarily.

Derby City Council are now closing the rest centre at the Salvation Army as all people who were being supported there have now left – anyone who requires support should attend the Pakistani Community Centre, 103 Harrington St, DE23 8PB, where council staff are on hand to help.

#UPDATE | 20:00 | Following a further multi-agency meeting it has been confirmed that those residents whose houses have been evacuated will not be able to return to their homes this evening - but will be able to access their properties for a short time if urgently required.

While work remains ongoing, officers have confirmed that further work needs to be carried out at the scene.

A further meeting is scheduled to take place at 8am tomorrow morning (5 Dec) and once that briefing has occurred a further update will be released.

Those residents who may not have been able to access their homes, eg, those who have been away from their address prior to the evacuation taking place, or have not got vital medication, or have other urgent issues at their home, will be able to access their properties this evening.

A further update about the specifics of how this will be facilitated will be communicated shortly.

You will not be able to stay there overnight and will have to leave after any items have been recovered from the property.

Superintendent Becky Webster, said: “I want to thank all those who have been affected by today’s evacuation for their understanding and response.

“Being asked to leave your home under such circumstances is understandably concerning and the support that the emergency services have had has been excellent.

“The work to ensure the safe return of those who have been displaced continues by colleagues from the Army but, unfortunately, that will have to be paused overnight and resumed in the morning.

“The safety of everyone in the area is our number one priority and we are doing all we can to bring this incident to a conclusion as quickly, and safely, as possible.”

An assembly point has been set-up for residents affected at the Pakistani Community Centre, 103 Harrington St, DE23 8PB, with a rest centre in place at The Salvation Army, 38 Osmaston Road, DE1 2HU.

A number of Derby City Council colleagues are on site to support residents who require translation assistance. Accommodation has also been arranged for any residents that need any support overnight and the coming days.

Those affected who are not using the council services can contact the police via our Live Chat facility on our website. This service provides translation into more than 100 languages.

A name, e-mail address and phone number is required, and the user can type in their preferred language. This will then be translated into English for the call handler, and the response will automatically be translated to the relevant language. 

#UPDATE | 17:05 | Officers remain at the scene of the incident in Vulcan Street, Derby.

A multi-agency meeting between partner agencies, including Derbyshire Constabulary, Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service, East Midland’s Ambulance Service, and Derby City Council, has taken place and emergency services remain at the scene as the response to the incident continues.

Residents in the area may have heard a bang in the past hour – this was a controlled explosion and there is no cause for concern.

The two men arrested earlier, both Polish nationals, remain in custody.

Further updates will be passed when available.

 

#UPDATE | 15:20 | Residents in the area of Vulcan Street may hear a bang shortly – this is controlled and is part of the work being carried out by the Army's Explosive Ordnance Division who are supporting this incident.

 

#INCIDENT | A major incident has been declared as around 200 homes are being evacuated as a precaution following a warrant at an address in Vulcan Street, Derby.

The evacuation zone has been put in place after officers carried out a warrant acting on intelligence about materials at the address.

Two men, one in his 40s and another in his 50s, have been arrested on suspicion of explosives offences. They remain in police custody.

A major incident has been declared and the force is working closely with Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service, East Midland's Ambulance Service and Derby City Council.

This is not being investigated as a terrorism incident, there is no wider risk to the community, and the evacuations are a precaution to ensure the safety of those in the area.

The cordon has been put in place and officers are currently evacuating around 200 properties in the following streets, which are also affected by the following closures:

• Shaftsbury Crescent – in its entirety
• Vulcan Street – in its entirety
• Reeves Road - in its entirety
• Shaftesbury Crescent – in its entirety
• Harrington Street – from Holcombe Street to Vulcan Street
• Baseball Drive – to Colombo Street
• Cambridge Street - at Reeves Road and Shaftesbury Crescent

Anyone who lives within the affected area is asked to prepare to be out of their homes for 24 hours and make preparations should they need medicines or require pets to be moved from an address.

The initial rest centre for those affected will be located at the Salvation Army, 38 Osmaston Road, Derby, DE1 2HU, and is being run by Derby City Council.

Officers will be knocking on the doors of all the properties within the cordon, however, if you are able to leave before they make contact, or you are currently away from your address, then we would ask that you contact the force using Facebook messenger through the main Derbyshire Constabulary page – providing the following details:

• Name
• Address
• Contact Number
• Where you are going
• Any medical needs or vulnerabilities if needing to be out of the address for 24 hours
• Any pets that may be affected

If you are unable to use social media, then please contact the force using the 101 non-emergency number.

Updates will be placed on our force channels as and when they are able to be shared and these will be placed on the Derbyshire Constabulary Facebook page and news page of the force website.