BOMB squad officers were called to a property in Newton Abbot yesterday (April 8) after paramedics had battled in vain to save a man’s life.

A 200m safety cordon was thrown around Spencer Road amid fears devices found at the dead man’s home possibly posed a danger to life.

The commotion kicked off at 4pm just as police had dealt with the discovery of a young man’s body an hour earlier less than a mile away at an address in Quay Terrace.

It later emerged the 21-year-old man’s death was not being treated as suspicious – and his next of kin and HM Coroner were being informed.

The two incidents were not connected.

The Spencer Road drama started when paramedics raced to the address following concerns for the occupant’s welfare.

He was pronounced dead at the scene after efforts to save him were not successful.

The drama deepened with the discovery of suspicious items at the address which prompted an emergency call to specialist officers attached to the Royal Navy Explosive Ordnance Department.

Families were evacuated from surrounding properties while the bomb squad team carried out an examination at the scene.

One woman said at the time: ‘I live on Bowden Hill, which backs on to Spencer Road. The police told me to leave straight away. I was getting tea ready for my four kids and we’ve just had to go.’

She added: ‘I don’t know where we are going to go. The policeman told me to speak to other officers who might help me.’

The cordon was later lifted and people allowed back into their homes after the scene was declared safe.

The twin dramas also involved the landing of the Devon Air Ambulance in Courtenay Park late in the afternoon.

A police spokesman said of the Spencer Road incident: ‘Inquiries are at a very early stage but there is not believed to be any wider public risk at this time.’

Officers were expected to shed more light on the matter later this morning.

The spokesman confirmed that the death in Quay Terrace was not being treated as suspicious.