The Hastings Half Marathon has been cancelled as the emergency services continue to deal with a chemical incident on the A259 seafront road.
The road, Marina, was part of the half marathon route and earlier bomb disposal experts from the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team removed some chemicals and burnt them.
A 100-yard cordon remains in place while work is carried out to analyse a stash of hundreds of canisters of other chemicals inside a seafront property in St Leonards.
Sussex Police said: “A 28-year-old man has been detained under the Mental Health Act while inquiries continue.”
The force said earlier: “Significant progress has been made in making safe chemicals found in a house on the A259 in St Leonards on Thursday (20 March).
“The Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team successfully removed the desensitised chemicals from the house and carried out a controlled burn in a skip near the sea wall on Saturday morning (22 March).
“Searches by EOD are continuing this morning for any other hazardous materials in the house to ensure the house is clear of explosive material and the area is safe.
“Around 500 additional cannisters have also been found containing unknown chemicals although these are not considered to be explosive.
“They will be tested and assessed by East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service and national specialists following the completion of the EOD’s search.
“EOD’s initial assessment found large quantities of one material that indicated explosive elements in it. Scientific experiments are now being undertaken to determine the exact nature of the chemical.”
Later, police added: “Multi-agency partners are working hard to bring the chemical incident in St Leonards to a close.
“Following safety advice, it is now confirmed that the 100 metre cordon must remain in place while a large amount of chemicals still within the house are being assessed. This means that a decision to reduce the cordon will be made this evening.”
Chief Inspector James Scott, the police district commander, said: “All partners are working hard to resolve the incident as swiftly as possible and allow residents to return to their homes as soon as it is safe.
“We appreciate everyone’s support and ongoing patience. We know this has been incredibly disruptive.
“Investigations are ongoing. However, from evidence gathered so far, there is no indication that the 28-year-old man arrested intended to cause harm either to himself of anybody else.
“We cannot put an exact timeframe on when the cordon will be reduced and residents can return to their homes but we should know more late afternoon. We believe a decision on the half marathon will be made around this time.
“Further updates will be delivered as soon as they are available.”
Later, Chief Inspector Scott added: “Partner agencies are working as efficiently as swiftly as possible, keeping public safety as the priority, to bring this incident to a safe conclusion and allow a return to normality.
“To hasten the process, a mutual aid request has led to fire and rescue colleagues from Kent, Essex, Cambridgeshire and Oxfordshire working alongside East Sussex Fire and Rescue colleagues at the scene.
“We continue to liaise closely with the organisers of the half marathon to support all available options to enable this to go ahead.
“We remain grateful for your understanding, patience and support during this time and further updates will be provided as soon as they are available.”
The organisers of the half marathon, the Nice Work Team and Hastings Lions, said: “It is with great disappointment that we have made the very difficult decision to cancel the Hastings Half Marathon.
“Please know this decision was not taken lightly. We have tried absolutely everything and we fully understand how disappointing this is for everyone.
“Following advice from the police and multiple partners, we carefully explored all possible alternatives. However, the safety of our runners, volunteers and supporters must always come first.
“At this stage, we still have no confirmed time for when the cordon will be lifted or when we will have access to the course.
“Given this uncertainly, we feel it is only fair we make this call now, allowing you as much time to adjust your plans while knowing we did everything we could.
“We will be reaching out to all registered runners, volunteers and partners with further details.
“We want to express our heartfelt thanks for your support and understanding during this incredibly challenging and unprecedented situation.
“Please bear with us as we make plans for the cancellation and we will be in touch with further information as soon as possible.
“Thank you again for your patience and support during this challenging situation.”
