A MAN arrested after a bomb scare will stay in custody until his next court appearance.

David Smith was questioned by officers when a suspected bomb was found in Hassocks.

Residents of Belmont Close, including the block of flats Middlewick House, were evacuated on Sunday while police carried out a controlled explosion.

The 50-year-old, who lives in the street, appeared in Crawley Magistrates' Court yesterday accused of possessing an explosive substance for an unlawful purpose.

He was remanded in custody until he returns to the court on Monday.

Bomb disposal experts, police and army officers were in the cul-de-sac for more than ten hours. Police said they were not treating it as a terrorist incident.