Cordon lifted after emergency services attend incident at Timsbury property

A man has been arrested following an incident at a residential property in Timsbury today (Tuesday 16 July).

At 4.44am, Avon Fire and Rescue Service received a call reporting a fire at an address in High Street. They informed us of the incident at 5.15am.

Firefighters were able to extinguish the fire but made officers aware that in the process of doing so they found a number of potentially suspicious items.

Public safety is always our paramount concern and therefore we notified EOD of the situation and implemented as a precaution a 100m cordon at their request. EOD ensured the items were made safe, and following further checks of the property, we were able to initially reduce the cordon size earlier this afternoon.

Residents living within the cordon were asked to evacuate, and we worked with Bath and North East Somerset Council to ensure they were able to access Conygre Hall, if needed. The cordon has now been lifted and those residents can return home.

Acting Chief Inspector Jon Nash said: “Public safety is always our priority, and we are grateful for the patience and understanding of the people of Timsbury today.

“Meticulous searches have been carried out and we are satisfied there is no ongoing risk to the public. Therefore, at about 4.30pm we lifted the cordon.

“Officers remain at the property carrying out investigative inquiries because a man has been arrested on suspicion of arson and remains in our custody. He has required some medical attention, but we’re pleased to say nobody else has.

“Emergency services and the council have well-rehearsed plans for such incidents to help keep the public safe. We recognise such incidents have a huge impact on the public, particularly in a small community like Timsbury. For that reason, we will carry out high-visibility reassurance patrols in the coming days so residents can come and talk to us and share any wider concerns they may have.”