Additional reporting by Brad Harper

Homes had to be evacuated and the bomb squad called to a residential street following the discovery of a “suspicious package”.

North View in Hersden near Canterbury was cordoned off by police following the alarming discovery.

Officers descended on the village yesterday afternoon (Monday), with a witness describing seeing the bomb disposal team arrive at the scene.

Pictures showed an Army explosive expert with a specialist bomb disposal robot in the back of a vehicle.

The road was closed and residents were told to leave their homes.

One resident, John Datlen, aged 75, said: “I've just come home from work so I don’t know much.

“We are told that until another bomb disposal team from elsewhere in the country arrives that we cannot re-enter our properties. We’ve been told it could be all night.

“It is not a nice situation to be in but safety has to come first.”

Another man Steven Rollinson, 57, said: “It all started a few hours ago. I don't really know any real details, other than that there is some sort of explosive device allegedly out there.”

One resident says police told him two suspected Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) had been found underneath cars.

A police spokesman said: “Kent Police was called to North View in Hersden at 2.05pm on Monday, April 7, following a report of a suspicious package at an address.

“Officers attended along with an EOD team from the Ministry of Defence and the package was seized and later found to pose no risk to the public.

“A 37-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of possessing an explosive substance and he remains in custody while enquiries at the scene continue.”

A cordon which was put in place as a precaution yesterday afternoon has now been lifted.