Hundreds of people living in Grimethorpe have returned to their homes this morning after an exclusion zone around a “suspicious item” was reduced.
Firefighters and an army Explosive Ordinance Disposal team were called yesterday after police executed a warrant on a property on Brierley Road in Barnsley .
People living in 130 households were evacuated from within a cordon of 100m. Later on yesterday this was reduced to 60m.
Last night, the exclusion zone was further reduced to an area covering only three homes.
South Yorkshire Police said: “The cordon surrounding a property in Grimethorpe, Barnsley has now been further reduced to include just three houses.
“People who were originally evacuated are being advised that they can now return safely to their homes. All roads in the area have now been reopened.”
A small cordon remains in place at three properties involved in the incident on Brierley Road and a police presence remained in the area overnight.
A 57-old woman and 58-year-old man were arrested on suspicion of offences under the Firearms Act yesterday. They both remain in police custody.
A police spokesman added: “We will continue to update you with further information as soon as we can.”
People took to social media to ask whether they would be able to make it home as the cordon was closed off to vehicles and caused major traffic in the area yesterday.
One said: “My mum lives on the street and I am hearing all sorts of stuff about people being evacuated for 2 days. She lives on the roundabout on dell avenue but she is at work at the moment. She is worrying about what to do.”