Plymouth bomb: Thousands evacuated before unexploded second ...

23 Feb 2024

The Guardian

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Plymouth bomb Thousands evacuated before unexploded second

People within a 300m exclusion zone in the city have been urged to leave their homes

An emergency alert has been sent to mobile phones warning people nearby to evacuate as a suspected second world war explosive device is moved to be disposed of at sea.

Devon and Cornwall Police were called on Tuesday morning to St Michael Avenue in the Keyham area of Plymouth after the object was discovered in a garden, PA Media reported.

Since then, a 300-metre cordon has been put in place around the site - affecting 1,219 properties and an estimated 3,250 people.

On Friday, Plymouth City Council announced that the bomb would be taken by military convoy to the Torpoint Ferry slipway to be disposed of at sea.

People living within 300 metres of the route the bomb will travel have been told they must leave their homes by 2pm on Friday for their own city.

An alert was sent to mobile devices in the area shortly after 12pm on Friday, stating: “Severe Alert. Issued by Plymouth City Council.

“The WWII bomb found in Keyham will be transported today 23 February 2024 at 2pm to Torpoint Ferry slipway via Saltash Road.

“A time limited cordon will be in place along this route between 2pm until an estimated 5pm. You are asked to leave and stay away from the cordoned area for this time period.

“For more information about the route, cordon and support - go to the Plymouth City Council website. Visit gov.uk/alerts for more information.”

The drama began when a builder hit a metallic object with a spade on St Michael Avenue, Keyham. At first he thought it was just a rusty piece of metal. On closer inspection the size and shape gave him pause and the police were called.

A major incident was declared by Plymouth city council on Tuesday afternoon and everyone who lived within 200m – about 1,200 people – was asked to leave their homes.

As the residents left, police officers, firefighters, more than 100 military personnel, including the Royal Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal team, search and rescue teams and emergency response charities arrived. In all, about 1,000 professionals have been involved.

On Thursday, the cordon was extended, to precisely 309m, taking in 1,219 properties and an estimated 3,250 people. The council advised people to take any household documents with them, open windows (to reduce the chance of them breaking if there was a blast) and remove cars.

A rest centre was opened at the Life Centre leisure complex. The Red Cross arrived to help out.

People fretted about left-behind pets and photo albums and worried that their insurance wouldn’t cover an “act of war”. Resident Jordan Brett, who was staying in a hotel, said he was concerned about his rabbits. “If there’s a controlled explosion there, we’ll definitely have to get our two rabbits before that,” he said

But most were prepared to wait patiently, recapture a bit of the Blitz spirit Plymouth showed eight decades ago. “You need to sit tight,” said Matt Wake. “Be the best British people you can be – put the kettle on.”

This bomb is a big one – 500kg. And its position – wedged under fragmented concrete made it hard to deal with.

Andrew Barr, a research fellow who specialises in blast and impact dynamics at the University of Sheffield, told the Guardian a blast from the bomb was capable of destroying houses in the surrounding streets, and severely damaging water pipes and gas mains. Fragmentation of the steel casing could cause widespread damage and injury.

But moving the bomb was not without danger. Barr said: “There are certainly risks involved in handling the bomb and transporting it through densely populated parts of the city for disposal at sea. The decision to do so won’t have been taken lightly.”

The decision to move the bomb was signalled to everyone in the area via their mobile phones using the UK government’s severe alert system, which Devon and Cornwall police believes to be the first time it has been used for a real emergency.

People poured out of their houses and into cars to leave. “It feels a bit like one of those evacuations you see in a disaster movie,” said shop worker Steve Jones as he departed. “Only without the disaster, as long as they don’t hit one of those big potholes.”

The Guardian was stationed above the Torpoint Ferry in Devonport Park - but was told by police officers that it was too close and we were moved on.

The Ministry of Defence said the evacuation in Plymouth due to the unexploded bomb is one of the largest since the second world war.

In a statement on X, formerly Twitter, the MoD said: “One of the largest UK peacetime evacuation operations since WW2 is underway in Plymouth, where BritishArmy and RoyalNavy have been working round the clock to make safe a 500kg unexploded bomb.

“Personnel are working with plymouthcc & emergency services to evacuate residents.”

The main trainline will be closed as it travels through the cordon, while ferries will be suspended and buses will be diverted.

Schools and nurseries are to close to allow the operation to take place, while all businesses within the cordon have been told to evacuate, PA Media reported.

Giles Perritt, assistant chief executive Plymouth City Council, said more than 1,000 staff and officers were involved in the operation to safely remove the bomb.

He said: “Today is the result of an enormous amount of planning.

“You won’t be surprised to hear that officers and partners have been working around the clock since this incident started to come up with the best and safest solution to deal with this device.

“We’re all both excited and still planning for carrying out a successful operation today.”

“I believe that after an enormous amount of work, we’ve taken an approach which reduces the risk to human life and also reduces what might have been a devastating impact on properties around where the device is situated at the moment.

“I think we’ve come up with a solution that lowers the risk to the least amount. There are still risks that we face but we think we’ve managed them the best.

“I’d just at this time like to say that the colleagues from the military who will be at the wheel of that vehicle are taking risks that I think any of us would struggle to contemplate on a daily basis and my hat is absolutely off to them.”

Highly trained bomb disposal experts will carefully remove the bomb from the garden before it is transported by road in a military convoy.

An assessment found that if the bomb was detonated where it was found, there would be too high a risk of significant damage - including the destruction of a number of houses, the council said.

Those affected by the cordon should be able to return home by 5pm on Friday, with the military advice clear that they must leave for their own safety, PA Media reported.

Superintendent Phil Williams, of Devon and Cornwall Police, was speaking at a press conference at the cordon in Plymouth when the emergency alert rang out on mobile devices.

“As has been the way throughout this, we’ve not forced anyone to leave their home. All we can do is urge them to and offer them the best possible advice that we can,” he said.

Williams said the military convoy was expected to take 20 minutes as it moved the bomb from the garden to the sea.

An alert was sent to mobile devices in the area shortly after 12pm.

It read: “Severe Alert. Issued by Plymouth City Council.