Plymouth Building Site Bomb Defused: 1,200 Homes Evacuated, German SC250 Neutralised
A 250kg World War Two German SC250 bomb, discovered at a Plymouth building site, was successfully subjected to a controlled detonation. The operation required the evacuation of more than 1,200 homes in the Southway area and the implementation of a 400m exclusion zone.
Plymouth City Council confirmed the defusal operation commenced at 08:15 BST. Residents reported hearing "loud thuds" throughout the morning, culminating in a "big bang" around 11:15, shortly before the council announced the device had been "made safe." Smoke was observed in the air and car alarms were triggered by the blast.
Colonel Nick Handy, the senior explosives officer, explained that the bomb could not be moved due to an inability to fully assess its fuses via X-ray, necessitating its detonation in situ. He stated the blast was caused by approximately one-third of the bomb's explosives, which burned at around 1,000C for about 10 minutes. Drones and a bomb disposal robot were deployed during the process.
Councillor Sally Haydon, Cabinet Member for Community Safety, detailed the extensive protective measures undertaken, including the deployment of 450 tonnes of sand, the construction of walls, and the digging of trenches to mitigate the blast's impact. She extended gratitude to the military bomb disposal experts for their "exceptional expertise, professionalism and care."
Following safety inspections, the cordon was lifted at 13:45, allowing residents to return home, with no significant structural damage reported. However, some temporary road closures remain in place for clean-up operations. The Southway Youth and Community Centre provided refuge for evacuated residents and their pets throughout the incident.
