Homes in Whitstable were evacuated last night after police discovered what they suspected to be potentially volatile material.

People living in 24 houses in Sherwood Drive were told to leave as officers imposed a 100m exclusion zone around a property in the road at around 8pm.

Officers from the Royal Logistics Corps were brought in to check the substances and remove them from the house.

Residents were allowed back into their homes at 11.30pm, and the material was confirmed to be harmless. One neighbour, who did not want to be named, said: “We weren’t given that much notice. It was very scary and like something out of a film.”

Police first arrived at the property at 2.30pm on Friday afternoon where they discovered material they suspected could have been used to make drugs.

Kieran Marsh, 34, of Sherwood Drive has been charged with manufacturing drugs and is due to appear at Canterbury magistrates on Monday.