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A World War Two bomb recently uncovered at a construction site in Plymouth is set to be destroyed through a controlled detonation scheduled for Friday. Due to the nature of the device, an exclusion zone with a radius of 400 meters (approximately 1,300 feet) has been established around the site in the Southway area, leading to the evacuation of more than 1,200 homes nearby.
Col Nick Handy, the senior explosives officer in charge of the operation, explained that the 250kg German SC250 bomb cannot be safely relocated because its fuses cannot be fully assessed. “A lot of people say ‘Well it’s been in the ground for 80 years, what’s the problem with it?'” he told reporters. He clarified, “The simple reason is, the fuses are the thing that makes it go bang.” Efforts to obtain clear X-ray images of one fuse were unsuccessful, and due to the uncertainty of the fuse condition, the bomb must be detonated where it was found.
In preparation for the blast, teams are working throughout the night to build a protective structure from large quantities of sand around the device. This is intended to absorb much of the blast energy and reduce fragmentation, minimizing damage to the surrounding buildings. Col Handy expressed confidence in these mitigation efforts: “We’re going to try our hardest to deflagrate that item and burn it inside of a structure that will limit the damage to the local surroundings,” adding, “I’m pretty confident that the mitigation that we put up will limit most of the damage.”
Residents within the cordoned-off area have been instructed to vacate their homes, and authorities including Devon and Cornwall Police and the Royal Navy have emphasized that no one should return to the exclusion zone until the operation is complete. Evacuees have the option of sheltering at Southway Youth and Community Centre or staying in hotels arranged by Plymouth City Council for those not able to stay with family or friends. As part of the safety measures, local schools including Oakwood Primary, Little Acorns Pre-School, and Beechwood Primary will remain closed on Friday. Plymouth has a history of wartime bombing, and unexploded ordnance continues to be discovered periodically in the city
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