Over 170 bombs from World War Two were discovered beneath a children’s playground with fears the number could rise. One of the training devices, which is still charged, was first located in Wooler, Northumberland. A variety of larger finds followed with concerns that the area was once used as a Home Guard training site for the ordnance. Following the war, the bombs were buried in the ground: 176 bombs have since been recovered with the fear that more will be discovered.
Wooler Parish Council was granted funding in December, adding a £150,000 inclusive playground to Scotts Park. On January 14, builders founded the first bomb. Mark Mather, a local Councillor, claimed “We’ve only cleared about a third of all the park and we could still find another pit with more bombs in”. This comment came after concerns that children had been playing in the park on top of the wartime munitions.
Specialist company, Brimstone Site Investigations, were selected to survey the site and have found a total of 176 bombs. Although the bombs are called practice devices, they include charges and were discovered with trigger mechanisms intact. Wooler was a centre for the Home Guard’s training, with officers visiting from across the country. After the war, weapons are believed to have been stashed away in one of the pits where they remained hidden until the latest find.
The project is expected to be ongoing through to the middle of February. The site visits by officials are denied by the UK Ministry of Defence beyond confirmation of two visits. Northumberland Council was forced to find extra funding following the discoveries to ensure work on the ordnance could be carried out safely
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