WW2 bomb found in Plymouth to be detonated today

Thousands evacuated from Southway

A World War Two bomb discovered on a building site in Plymouth is going to be blown up, in situ today.

The Army confirmed it wasn’t safe to move the 250kg German device from the Southway area of the city, following an x-ray on the device determined its fuses couldn't be fully assessed. 

A 400 metre cordon has been set up around the site and more than 1,200 homes have been asked to evacuate, while experts investigate the best way to detonate the historic German SC250. 

Thousands of Plymouth residents have spent a second night away from their homes and have been asked to leave windows open, turn off their water and take essentials in preparation of the controlled explosion. 

The Southway Youth and Community Centre has opened its doors as an evacuation hub where people and pets have been staying. 

Overnight, sand has been placed in containers around the large WWII bomb to try and protect nearby buildings, to reduce the impact of the blast. 

Explosive ordnance expert Colonel Nick Handy from the Eight Engineer Brigade said: "We have to be realistic, when that thing goes 'bang', there will be damage. We will limit that as much as possible with the mitigation we will put in place."

He added crews are operating "very carefully" and said the detonation would be at "some time" today. 

Meanwhile, Oakwood Primary School, Little Acorn Pre-School and Beachwood Primary remain closed on Friday.