Update on Hughes incident

ACT Policing has located an amount of commercial explosives and military ordnance within a Hughes home today (June 27).

About 11.30am today police were called to a residence in Jess Place where they located a number of commercial explosives within a garage on the property. As a result, police evacuated surrounding streets and put road blocks in place. ACT Policing’s Bomb Response Team has since disposed of these commercial explosives. The residence is a deceased estate.

Further searches of the house tonight have uncovered further military ordnance as well as further commercial explosives which appear to have been in place for some years. Police have assessed the items and expert advice from the AFP Bomb Response Team is that the explosives pose little to no threat if they are undisturbed and remain intact.

Police will be sealing and guarding the house overnight. Further evacuations will take place tomorrow to dispose of the remaining explosives.

An ACT Government evacuation centre was set-up at the Hughes Community Centre on Wisdom Street and a number of residents attended the centre for updated information, food and shelter.

Residents living in the vicinity of Jess Place should expect further disruptions tomorrow (June 28) as ACT Policing work with the Australian Defence Force to render the area safe.

Resident who were evacuated today may return to their homes if they wish.

Local residents wishing to get updates on the situation in Hughes should contact 131-444.