A MAN has been arrested by police investigating reports of an a series of loud bangs in a gardene.

The 21-year-old has been detained by officers after suspected explosives were found when officers searched a house on Tuesday on Gateside Street in West Kilbride and found the explosive material.

Homes nearby have been evacuated, and a bomb disposal team was sent to assist with the incident in North Ayrshire.

Police responded to reports at around 6.30pm on Tuesday that "loud bangs" had been heard in a garden.

News of the incident spread on social media, with one resident tweeting: "Bomb squad in west Kilbride. Not something you see everyday."