Police in Illingworth: Video shows dramatic moment bomb squad carried out controlled explosion in Halifax

The explosion was carried out by the bomb squad after a suspicious object was discovered while police were searching a house on Keighley Road in Illingworth.

Residents have reported hearing two controlled explosions taking place, with one saying their house was shaken by the force of the first detonation.

The police search on Keighley Road was being carried out after a raid was carried out on Natty Lane, also in Illingworth, on Thursday and the arrest of two people from two addresses on suspicion of firearms offences.

Some residents living near where the object was found on Saturday morning were asked to leave their homes until the early hours of today while specialist army officers were deployed.

A base was set up at Illingworth Sports and Social Club on Keighley Road for displaced residents and and a 100m cordon was set up in Natty Lane and Keighley Road between Cobblestones Drive and Illingworth Road, with drivers diverted.

Inspector Ryan Stockton, of Calderdale Police, said: “I want to thank residents for their understanding and patience while this operation was carried out.

"I also want to apologise for any disruption it may have caused.

“The deployment of specialist resources may understandably have caused some concern but it is entirely normal for them to attend in such operations in order to take every possible precaution to ensure public safety."