More than 1,000 homes in Plymouth have been evacuated following the discovery of an unexploded Second World War bomb at a building site. Officials have confirmed the device, a 250kg German SC250, will be detonated in place. The find in Flamborough Road, Southway, prompted a 400-metre cordon, with military experts determining it cannot be safely relocated.
Assessment and Decision
“Royal Navy and Army unexploded ordnance specialists have now completed a rigorous and detailed assessment of the device,” a council spokesman stated. “They have advised that it is not possible to safely remove it. The only safe option is to make the device safe in situ, which will involve a controlled detonation. This is planned to take place on Friday, once all safety measures are fully in place.” The council added that specialists are constructing a “sand mitigation structure” to minimise blast impact.
Safety Measures
The 400-metre cordon remains active, and residents cannot return until the bomb is neutralised. A no-fly zone is in effect, prohibiting drones. The Southway Youth and Community Centre has been opened for evacuees, assisting over 50 residents and placing 25 households in temporary accommodation. Oakwood Primary School, Little Acorns Pre-School, and Beechwood Primary School will stay closed on Friday.
Colonel Nick Handy of 8 Engineer Brigade explained the bomb’s fuses made safe movement impossible. “Unfortunately we cannot get a definitive X-ray of the second fuse and therefore it is not safe to move that item. We are going to blow it in situ. When I say blow it in situ, we are going to try our hardest to deflagrate that item and burn it inside of a structure which will limit the damage to the local surroundings. I am pretty confident that the mitigation that we put up will limit most of the damage, but we will look to do that at some point on Friday.”
Historical Context
Colonel Handy noted the device contains 130kg of explosives “that is 80 years old and it’s dangerous. When that thing goes bang, there will be damage. We will limit that as much as possible to ensure that nobody suffers. The mitigation that we put in place should affect only small amounts of damage on the outer extremities of the area.” Plymouth endured over 50 Luftwaffe air raids between 1941 and 1944, killing 1,174 civilians. The first bombs fell on July 6, 1940, with the heaviest bombing in March and April 1941. Two years ago, a 500kg German WWII bomb found in Keyham led to thousands evacuated and was detonated at sea.
