DOZENS of people were evacuated from their homes while police explosives experts defused a bomb delivered to a Jewish family.

A large area of Clayhall Avenue in Clayhall was cordoned off on Monday afternoon after the family alerted the police to a suspicious package delivered to their home.

Ambulances and fire engines joined police on the scene and worried neighbours were evacuated from their homes while the device was made safe.

The Guardian spoke to a man at the house which was targeted who did not wish to comment on the incident.

But neighbour Shashi Dattani, 47, said she was shocked when she opened her door to a police officer.

“They didn’t mention the word bomb,” she said

“But I thought if they are asking me to evacuate my home, there must be something very serious going on and it did cross my mind.

“I went round to a neighbour’s further down the road outside of the cordon.

“It is absolutely shocking to hear that something like this could happen on our road.

“We don’t see all of our neighbours very often, but it is a nice place to live.”

While the road was reopened neighbours were allowed to return to their homes after an hour, the house where the device was delivered to remained cordoned off for several hours.

The news that police are treating the incident as an anti-semitic hate crime was greeted with shock by Rabbi Nissan Wilson of the nearby Clayhall United Synagogue.

He said: “In general we don’t have a problem with anti-semitic crime in the area.

“I have heard of nothing as serious as this since I have been here.”

Police have delivered leaflets to houses in the area regarding the incident and continue to investigate.

No arrests have been made.