RESIDENTS in a quiet North-East neighbourhood have told of their shock after a dog poo bin exploded, causing a loud bang.

The incident, which drew dozens of people out of their homes on Wednesday (October 1) evening, happened in Barmpton Lane, on the outskirts of Darlington.

It appears that a number of explosives – thought to have been fireworks – were left inside the red poo bin, which was held in place by an upright pole.

The explosion comes on the back of a warning about illegal fireworks circulating in the region.

It caused the bin to be ripped from its position and caused debris – including bags of dog waste, collected by conscientious pet owners – to be flung in all directions.

Police attended and the debris was cleared by street scene officers from Darlington Borough Council.

Minor damage was caused to at least one resident's property.

The incident caused quite a stir on social media, with dozens of people taking to Facebook in an effort to find out more information.

Judith Murray, who lives nearby, told The Northern Echo: "The bin has blown off its hinges and hit a resident's window, four doors away, and smashed it.

"It was an almighty bang, at first we thought it was a bomb.

"We were sat in the conservatory and it shook, I really thought it was a bomb going off, it was such a sizeable bang.

"Everybody came out of their houses to see what had happened, because the bang had been so loud."

Meanwhile, residents across County Durham are being urged to keep an eye out for illegal fireworks.

The illegal bangers, which are labelled ‘Black Cat’ – a legitimate brand, are actually believed to be counterfeit and have been banned since 1997.

Trading Standards officers from Durham County Council and police were tipped off about the batch after some residents in the county complained that children were letting them off in the streets.

Investigations to uncover the source are continuing but trading standards officers have found that these products are becoming increasingly available through unlicensed sellers, some of which are using the internet to bypass strict controls on storage and supply.

Joanne Waller, the council's head of environment, health and consumer protection, said: “Mini-rockets, bangers, firecrackers and fireworks of erratic flight are all considered highly dangerous and are illegal.

“In particular, the type of fireworks we have previously found in circulation are extremely powerful and are capable of causing serious physical injury."