FOR the residents of six streets in a North-East council housing estate, the 10.30am order to leave their homes was the start of a day of drama.

Without any explanation, dozens of families in Firthmoor, Darlington, were ushered from their homes by police officers and told to gather at a nearby emergency rest centre, hastily established in a community hall.

Many of those evacuated had been watching TV or finishing their breakfasts when the police arrived. Some did not even have time to grab their coats.

An apparent bomb-making factory, and an arsenal of weapons and ammunition, had been discovered in the heart of their community - and no one knew a thing.

In the space of a few hours two residents, Raymond Fothergill, 66, and John Lambert, 55, had been arrested, a controlled explosion carried out and homes cordoned off.

Neighbours of the suspects said the news had come as a shock.

One resident, who lives just doors away from the suspects' house, in Kexwith Moor Close, and did not want to be named, said: "One minute I was sat watching television and the next I'm being told to leave my home.

"It's been unbelievable, a complete shock. I've hardly ever seen the bloke who was arrested. He was very quiet. In fact I didn't even know another person lived there.

"To think I've been literally living next door to a bomb-making factory is very, very frightening."

Local shop staff said Mr Fothergill was always polite.

"He used to say 'please' and 'thank you', just an average customer really," said Ross Nimmo, who works at Costcutter. "He just came in, got his stuff and went."

A fellow shop worker, who asked not to be named, said of Mr Fothergill: "He used to buy a lot of gear, a lot of stuff - all boxes of stuff as if he was going away."

Huddled outside Firthmoor Community Centre, used as an emergency rest centre, dozens of residents gathered to share their shock.

Although the arrests are not being linked with any terrorist action, for many in Firthmoor, the horror of the US atrocities has made the news all the more terrifying.

One resident said: "One day we're watching the horror of the attacks in America, and suddenly a bomb-making factory has been found on your own doorstep."

For now, police face the task of searching the house, which could take days. But for the people of Firthmoor, the shock waves will reverberate long after the forensic experts have disappeared.