The perpetrators, who were planning to carry out the plan during Christmas, have been identified as aged 41, 36, 31 and 22.

The 31-year old was picked up from Chesterfield.

The others were arrested from Sheffield.

An Army bomb disposal squad also sealed off a road in Chesterfield and evacuated nearby homes while the arrest was made.

The cordon was later removed.

The detainees are currently in a West Yorkshire police station, where they will undergo police quizzing.

According to the BBC, a neighbour in Shirebrook Road, Sheffield, heard a loud bang, which the person said felt like 'an earthquake'.

However, counter terrorism experts have ruled out the possibility of it being an explosion.

According to a spokeswoman from Counter Terrorism Policing North East: "The public may have heard a loud bang at the time as police entered one of the properties, but it was not an explosion."

The spokesperson stated that it part of 'the method to gain entry to the property'.

Image: twitter.com/metpoliceuk