Residents in Marlow said they were 'shocked and nervous' after police evacuated six homes upon finding potentially dangerous chemicals during a house search.

Thames Valley Police confirmed this morning that a man in his twenties and a woman in her forties were arrested in James Close yesterday (March 22) for poison-related offences. 

Officers conducted a warranted search of a property in the close yesterday afternoon and evacuated six houses in the vicinity at around 3pm after finding potentially dangerous chemicals onsite.

An investigation is ongoing and several police officers and forensic examiners remain at the scene, with a cordon in place. 

Gary, who lives around the corner from the house that was searched yesterday, said he was "shocked" by the number of police at the scene and had "never known anything like it" to happen before in the "usually quiet area".

Bucks Free Press:

Adding: "There was an officer standing at the end of our garden at about 3pm yesterday, and they cordoned off the entrance to our road and a nearby alleyway.

"We overheard him talking to another officer, saying 'We need to evacuate some of the houses', but apparently our house wasn't in the vicinity that was affected.

"My neighbour's quite elderly and they said to her, 'You need to get out'. It wasn't until 8pm or 9pm that they were allowed back."

Another resident who wanted to remain anonymous said: "I was told to leave my house at about 2:45pm - the police said they were advising a few people to leave, but they didn't say why.

Bucks Free Press:

"They asked me if I had somewhere to go and I went to my friends. Then one of my friends from around here called me to say we could get back in at about 7:50pm. We still didn't know what was going on - I was definitely a bit nervous."

A resident who lives near James Close but was out when the evacuation took place, added: "I've been told by my neighbours what happened - I'm glad that I managed to avoid it.

"We never get the police here, especially this much of a presence. It's crazy. It's good to see that they're doing their due diligence though."

Bucks Free Press:

Detective Chief Inspector Sally Spencer said: “An investigation is ongoing, and members of the public are likely to see an increased police presence while enquiries are ongoing.

“A police cordon is likely to remain in place at the address for some time. If there are members of the public with any concerns, then please do speak to one of our officers in the area.”