AN elderly Malvern couple have spoken of the moment a bomb scare forced them from their Pickersleigh Road home - two months after another evacuation.

Ron and Christine Bromley were among several families asked to leave their homes on Thursday after a suspect package was found in a property in the road.

Two months before, they had been forced out after an underground electrical fault caused a blaze just yards from their front garden.

"You could see flames shooting about 6ft into the air by the grass verge and into the trees," said Mr Bromley, aged 71.

"The fire brigade came and told us we had to leave as water had got into an 11,000 volt cable."

On Thursday night, the couple were woken by police who evacuated 10 homes along Pickersleigh Road, opposite the house with the suspicious package, and in Cedar Avenue, behind it, shortly before midnight.

Families were taken to Malvern police's social club and then transferred to the Abbey Hotel, in Abbey Road.

Pickersleigh Road was cordoned off near the junctions for Spring Lane and North End Lane until around 7am yesterday when the all-clear was given.

"There was talk of an explosive device. They didn't want us to hang about, so we just got a few belongings," said Mr Bromley.

Mrs Bromley, 73, added: "The police and hotel staff treated us very well. We had the best rooms in the hotel and a good breakfast. And it was a chance to talk to people from Cedar Avenue.

"We weren't really scared. We're both from London and remember loud bangs from the war."