Blackpool boy arrested under Explosives Act remains detained in hospital under Mental Health Act
A Blackpool boy arrested under the Explosives Act remains detained under the Mental Health Act.
The 16-year-old was taken into custody after police discovered ‘modified fireworks’ at a home in Gloucester Avenue on New Year’s Eve.
Homes were evacuated and bomb disposal teams removed the devices, which were described as “potentially very dangerous”.
The teenager was arrested on suspicion of offences under the Explosives Act and detained under the Mental Health Act after being assessed.
Lancashire Police said the boy remains in a mental health unit where he has been detained for the past two weeks after being ‘sectioned’ under the Mental Health Act.
What type of explosives were found?
Lancashire Police said a number of “modified commercial fireworks” were found at the address in Gloucester Avenue on the morning of December 31.
The explosives were believed to have been shop-bought and modified at home, with police describing them as “improvised firework-type devices of some power”.
It is illegal for the public to tamper with or modify fireworks under the Explosives Act. Those caught risk hefty fines and even imprisonment, as well the risk of causing serious fire and injury.