One man told the ECHO that the controlled explosion was so loud people nearby said their “hearts were going to stop”
21:03, 01 Feb 2026Updated 21:39, 01 Feb 2026
Emergency services on Douglas Road(Image: Liverpool ECHO)
Otterspool Promenade was evacuated by police officers before an army bomb disposal unit carried out a controlled explosion. Emergency services including Merseyside Police and the army were in attendance on Douglas Road in Anfield earlier on Sunday after a forensic team found a suspicious powder inside a house linked to an ongoing investigation.
Merseyside Police officers have been at the house for a number of weeks as part of a probe into the discovery of human remains found in a St Helens flat. Soldiers from a bomb disposal unit had earlier been in Anfield wearing protective equipment, while a police spokesperson confirmed a “white powder” was found as part of the probe.
A convoy including three Matrix police vehicles and the explosive ordnance disposal team (EOD) van left Anfield at speed at around 4.30pm. Merseyside Police said the powder was being taken away for a controlled explosion.
The ECHO can confirm that an area of green space by Otterspool Promenade was used for the controlled explosion. A man on his daily walk on the promenade told the ECHO a “large police presence” arrived at around 4.30pm and asked people politely “to clear the area”.
The man, from Grassendale, said he was told by a police officer that there was going to be a “very, very loud bang”. He said a convoy with blue lights then arrived at around 5pm. The man claimed that as he was walking, he heard an explosion from two miles away that was so loud people nearby said their “hearts were going to stop.”
A general image of Otterspool Promenade(Image: Andrew Teebay/Liverpool Echo)
Merseyside Police had earlier attended Douglas Road at around 2.30pm. Police forensic teams had been at the house in question for over three weeks as part of a wider investigation after human remains were found at a flat in Gerards Court, St Helens, on January 8. A police spokesperson told the ECHO today that the enquiries are connected.
The ECHO was told by one man who lived on a neighbouring road that a soldier was seen wearing “body armour and a helmet and visor” over his camouflaged fatigues. The ECHO saw another soldier leaving the property in question carrying a number of evidence bags.
Around 20 properties were evacuated by police officers. A spokesperson told the ECHO: “The road was temporarily closed, and a number of houses adjacent to the property were evacuated as a precaution while the substance was removed from the property.”
One man who lived close to the property said: “I was at home, and police knocked on my door and asked who was in the house. I said me, my partner and my dog. They said we had to go, and the street was being evacuated.
Police and army bomb disposal on Douglas Road(Image: Liverpool ECHO)
“We were told it was just for a couple of hours, but we haven’t heard anything. It’s the same house where police have been. We’re only a few doors down. That’s when we started panicking a bit.”
Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service was also in attendance at the scene. A spokesperson confirmed to the ECHO: “[We] attended an incident on Douglas Road, Liverpool, earlier today to assist Merseyside Police. One fire engine was on scene from 15.20 and left at 16.41.”
Detective Inspector Dave Jones previously told the ECHO: “This is a complex investigation, and as such, we are carrying out several lines of enquiry…It is vital that a full forensic search of Douglas Street takes place to establish if it is relevant to the investigation, and due to the upkeep of the property, that is taking longer than normal.”
Police have also been in attendance at a third location, on Moss Bank in St Helens, linked to the investigation into the discovery of human remains. A police evidence tent had previously been erected in front of a garage, while a vehicle and disused boat were inside a cordon.
George Gordon, 65, of Gerards Court, St Helens, has been charged with preventing the lawful and decent burial of a dead body and obstructing a coroner in the execution of their duty. He appeared in court on January 12.