An investigation has been launched following the discovery of a suspicious item in Atherton

Police came across an abandoned vehicle on Car Bank Street, Atherton, shortly before 11am on Thursday 2 January 2020.  

After further inspection on arrival, responding officers detected a suspicious item in the car – a silver Audi A6 – and notified specialist officers for further assistance.

Bomb disposal officers attended the scene and proceeded to assess the item.

A police cordon was put in place and a small number of addresses in the immediate vicinity were evacuated as a precaution while the scene was assessed.

The discovered item has been taken away for further analysis after being deemed safe to move. The cordon has since been lifted.

Investigators are now keen to speak to anyone who may have seen suspicious behaviour around the area of Car Bank Street in the time preceding the police’s arrival.

Detective Inspector Joanne Johnston, of GMP’s Wigan division, said: “I would firstly like to commend the work of our specialist officers at the scene for ensuring there was no risk to the public during the procedure.

“I’d also like to extend my thanks to the local community for their co-operation and I ask them to continue to work with us while we continue to assess the scene in the coming days to try and gather further information.

“While the item is currently being forensically examined by a specialist team, we are now concentrating on our investigation into the circumstances behind the car’s abandonment and the item subsequently found inside of it.

“Initial enquiries suggest the car has been left redundant for at least a few days and we urge anyone who has seen the car or any suspicious behaviour around that area in recent days to come forward with information no matter how insignificant they think it may be.”

Anyone with any information regarding the incident should contact police on 0161 856 5307 quoting incident number 886 of 02/01/2020. Details can also be passed on anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.