Police have issued an urgent “stay away” notice at a popular beauty spot in Lancashire after the discovery of suspected “grenade type” devices.
A bomb disposal team have raced to Rivington Reservoir this morning after two members of the public are understood to have found the alarming objects and called emergency services. The spot, located just outside Bolton, was due to welcome hundreds of visitors over the Easter bank holiday weekend, but has been cordoned off since around 8am with police, ambulances, and fire services on scene to investigate the devices. Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service said in a post on Facebook: “Good morning. We just wanted to let you know that there is an ongoing incident at Rivington, there is a cordon in place at the moment and we would ask you to stay away from the area for now while the emergency services deal with the situation. Thanks for your understanding and cooperation.”
A Lancashire Police spokesperson said: “We are currently an incident at Rivington after a member of the public found what are suspected to be two grenade type devices. The items were found at the side of Rivington reservoir at shortly before 8am today (Saturday, April 19th). We are at the scene and a team from Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) are on route.
“There is a cordon in place at the moment and we would ask you to stay away from the area for now while we deal with the situation. We will update you further when we can. Thanks for your understanding and cooperation.”
The Rivington Reservior is a popular walking spot for locals dating back to the 1850s. Emergency services are currently blocking Horrobin Lane, which leads to the area, as they continue to carry our their enquiries, Manchester Evening News reports. An incident response unit ambulance is also present on scene. Emergency services are believed to be located at the upper reservoirs, closer to Chorley.
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