Grimethorpe evacuation: Pit village's community spirit praised after 130 homes evacuated

Occupants of around 130 homes on Brierley Road were evacuated after ‘suspicious items’ were found on Wednesday morning (May 8).

A 58-year-old man and a 57-year-old woman have been arrested on suspicion of offences under the Firearms Act, and both remain in custody.

Residents were allowed back into their homes at around 10pm last night, apart from the residents of three houses in the remaining cordon. Five families stayed in hotels last night, and two in residential care support.

Speaking at the Parish Church of St Lukes in the village, which was set up as a rest centre for evacuated residents, councillor Sir Steve Houghton said the council had been inundated with offers of help.

“The reaction has been brilliant,” he said. “They’ve cooperated and worked closely with the emergency services and the council. It’s been hugely disruptive for them, particularly the older residents, but they’ve been great and I can’t thank them enough. There’s always been a strong community spirit in Grimethorpe, and it really came to the fore yesterday.”

Coun Houghton said that local shops had offered food to evacuated residents, and the council was flooded with offers to volunteer. “While we don’t want incidents like this anywhere, the community can be very proud of how it responded,” he added.

Brian Danforth, who has been the churchwarden at St Luke’s for the last 10 years, said yesterday’s Mass had been interrupted by the police asking if the church could be used as a shelter.

“We were having Mass at the time that police came in and wanted to use the space as an emergency evacuation centre – we’re open to all things like that,” he said.

“The police and emergency workers were in first then later in the afternoon residents that had been evacuated were coming in. They looked a little bit numb as they were coming in, they’d been asked to pack an overnight bag.

“There were lots of volunteers from the community in the church to give them a cup of tea and a cake, have a chat and make sure they were comfortable. It was a good atmosphere in the circumstances. Churches are not just a place of worship, it’s a place of community.”

Coun Houghton added support will remain at the church ‘for as long as it needs to be’, and said social services have been working with families to help understand their needs.