Explosive disposal team sent to Nelson due to ‘suspicious item’

Police began lifting cordons in Nelson on Wednesday night after a suspicious item was found to pose no risk to the public.

It was located on Kerr St about 1:15pm.

“The New Zealand Defence Force Explosive Ordnance Disposal team responded and determined that it posed no risk to the public,” police said on Wednesday night.

“Police would like to thank Nelson residents for their patience.”

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Earlier on Wednesday, police advised the public to avoid certain streets while they responded to reports of a “suspicious item” in the area.

A police spokesperson said Konini St was closed while police responded to the reports.

The road closures were in place to reduce public safety risk while staff worked to determine what the full circumstances of the matter were, police said.

Kerr and parts of Gloucester streets were also closed by Police.

Rutherford St and Vanguard St were unaffected by closures.

A bystander outside Smiths said that at the Kerr St building where he worked staff inside the building were told to stay there until police had finished working at the scene.

He said he was told by police that he would not be allowed back into the office for three or four hours until a team from Christchurch had visited.

“Until they’re done, no-one is going in,” he said. “No-one can come out and leave, and you can’t get in.”

It is understood a number of Nelson central city workers parked their cars in the cordoned off area, and were unable to access their vehicles on Wednesday afternoon.