A GROUP of men have been charged in relation to a suspicious device which forced a police HQ to be evacuated.

On Thursday, an alarm was raised at the building which houses Greater Manchester Police's Serious Crime Unit, and all staff were ushered out of Nexus House, in Ashton-under-Lyne.

Yesterday, police announced that four people had been charged in relation to the incident, with Callum Foster, aged 27, of Darliston Avenue, Blackley, charged with possession of prohibited ammunition.

In addition, Craig Farrell, aged 33, from Rygate Walk, Manchester, was charged with possession of a weapon.

They were joined by two others, 63-year-old Richard Adams, of Broom Lane, Salford, and 57-year-old Wayne Kelly, of Edward Street, Manchester, and all four men were charged with two counts of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs.

All four have been remanded to appear at Manchester and Salford Magistrates’ Court today, Friday 23 November 2018.

The suspicious device was destroyed by the Army in a controlled explosion.