Surveillance witness appeals after finding ‘grenade-like devices’

Police have released CCTV images to try to identify a potential witness after an incident in which two “grenade-type devices” were found in Fulwood.

Lancashire Police said they would like to speak to the man shown in the footage in connection with their investigation into the incident, which happened earlier this month.

Police added: “We want to make it clear that he is being treated as a witness only, he is not in any trouble with us and we do not believe he was involved in this incident at this time.”

The appeal added that on Tuesday 18 June at 12.25pm ​​officers were called to a property on Watling Street Road following a report that the devices had been found near an address.

The Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team was called in, a cordon was established and a number of properties were evacuated.

The EOD service at the scene of the incident carried out a successful controlled explosion of one of the devices, while the second device was moved to a second location, where a further controlled explosion took place.

One of the items was found to be an effective explosive device, the other was not.

Lancashire Police said a special investigation team was continuing to investigate the incident and asked the public to check dashcam, CCTV and mobile phone footage to see if it captured anything in the conservation area on Watling Street Road between midnight and 12 :30 on the night of June 18.

Officers added: ‘We would now like you to look at the photograph below and please contact us if you recognise the witness in the photograph.

“We know it’s not the highest quality, but we hope someone will be able to recognize the person in it.”

He added that residents can continue to expect an increased police presence in the area as officers investigate.

Anyone with any doubts or information is asked to contact officers.

The appeal said: “We believe this was an isolated incident and at this stage we do not believe it is linked to any other investigations nor do we believe there is any further risk to the general public.

“We want to reiterate that the man in the photo below is being treated as a witness and we do not believe he has any involvement in this incident, however it is really important that we speak to him.

“If you notice anything unusual or have information that could assist our investigation, please call 101 quoting log 0556 of 18 June 2024.”