Woman arrested in Church Stretton bomb probe

The arrest was made in Shrewsbury yesterday

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Bomb disposal experts were called to the town after what was described as a small home-made device was found in a room at the Cunnery Road motel on Tuesday.

The police's explosive ordnance disposal team was called to deal with the package.

A nearby road was shut for less than an hour as police examined the package before it was found it was not a cause of concern for the public.

No evacuation took place and no members of public were under threat.

But police said that following inquiries a woman was arrested in Shrewsbury yesterday. She was later released on police bail.

Force spokesman Richard Ewels said: "Police were contacted by a member of the public after a suspicious item was discovered an address in Church Stretton on Tuesday afternoon.

"It was thought the item might be an explosive device and was examined by explosive ordnance disposal staff who found it did not pose any danger.

"However, inquiries are continuing and a 32-year-old woman was arrested in Shrewsbury on Wednesday on suspicion of possessing bomb-making equipment."

Force duty inspector Helen Thomas today said that the woman was released on police bail yesterday pending further inquiries by officers.

Yesterday the owner of the motel, David Bayley, said police were alerted after the small incendiary device was found.

"We found the device and it was a small incendiary device but it was never really going to cause any harm to anyone," he said.

"No-one was ever in any danger and it wasn't really that much of a big deal because we had to call the police because the tenant would have had to have been evicted.

"We've been here about 10 years and this has never happened to us before."