A specialist army unit was scrambled yesterday after police found “various items of ammunition” which turned out to be harmless.

Police attended an address in Loughton Lane, Theydon Bois at around 4.30pm yesterday and discovered an amount of wartime memorabilia including the ammunition.

Officers contacted the army’s Explosives Ordnance Disposal, who sent a unit to investigate.

When they arrived, the army unit found “all to be in order”, a police spokeswoman said.

The Theydon Bois scout hut in Loughton Lane was evacuated according to one parent, who said children were taken outside and moved away from the property because of safety fears during the investigation.