We're ending today's coverage, but here's a recap of what's happened...

• Residents in Plymouth are returning home after specialists detonated a World War Two bomb
• More than 1,200 homes were evacuated within 400m (1,300ft) of a World War Two bomb found in Plymouth on Wednesday
• Bomb disposal experts from the Royal Navy and Army detonated the bomb where it was on Friday
• Col Nick Handy praised the bomb disposal team and said the "guys and girls on the ground were excellent in everything that they did. We won".
• The city council said there was no significant damage caused by the detonation

Image source, Royal Navy

This is the moment a police drone captures the 250kg World War Two bomb being blown up on a building site in Southway, Plymouth.

Thousands of people living nearby were evacuated from their homes before the controlled explosion by military experts. No significant damage was reported.

A 400m (1,300ft) police cordon has been taken down and people have been allowed to return to their homes.

Police have said thank you to Plymouth residents after a "worrying and disruptive few days".

Devon & Cornwall Police said on Facebook, external: "A huge thank you to the Southway community after a 250kg World War Two bomb was safely dealt with earlier today.

"The device was discovered at a building site on Flamborough Road, prompting a large-scale evacuation of around 1,500 residents and a 400m safety cordon while specialist teams worked to make it safe.

"At around 11.15am this morning, military bomb disposal experts carried out a controlled detonation, bringing a complex, 48-hour operation to a safe conclusion.

"We know this has been a worrying and disruptive few days, and we’re incredibly grateful for the patience and support shown by the community.

"Operations like this are unpredictable and resource-intensive, but thanks to strong partnership working and the expertise of bomb disposal teams, everyone is now safely back where they belong."

Jonathan Morris
BBC News Online

Image source, PA Media

Plymouth City Council has said no significant damage has been identified in the surrounding area, including nearby buildings after a World War Two bomb was blown up.

The bomb, which was found on Wednesday on a building site in Southway, was destroyed in a controlled explosion earlier.

Image source, PA Media

A small number of temporary road closures will remain in place immediately around the site while teams carry out clean-up work, the council added.

There will also be restrictions around the building site itself, where the device was located, while the area continues to be made fully secure.

Residents in Plymouth are returning to their homes after specialists disarmed a World War Two bomb.

Councillor Sally Haydon, cabinet member for community safety at Plymouth City Council, said: “We know this has been a deeply distressing and inconvenient time for local residents and businesses, and we want to sincerely thank everyone for their patience, co-operation and understanding throughout this incident.

“Our heartfelt thanks go to the brave Army and Royal Navy unexploded ordnance specialists who have worked tirelessly over recent days.

“They quite literally put their lives on the line and it is thanks to their exceptional expertise, professionalism and care that this operation was brought to a safe conclusion.”

More than 1,200 homes had been evacuated from the Southway area of the city, with a loud explosion heard as the 250kg bomb was made safe.

This is the moment a huge explosion was heard in Plymouth, as bomb disposal experts made a 250kg WW2 device safe.

More than 1,200 homes were evacuated and residents sent to Southway Youth and Community Centre. They have since been told they could return home.

The BBC's Jenny Kumar was at the scene.

Jonathan Morris
BBC News Online

Image source, PA Media

A senior police officer said safety was a "priority" after a World War Two bomb was blown up in Plymouth.

A 400m (1,300ft) cordon was put up at the site in Southway and thousands of people were evacuated before the 250kg bomb was destroyed in a controlled explosion.

Nikki Leaper, Assistant Chief Constable at Devon & Cornwall Police, said: "We wanted it to be safe, we cannot get complacent.

"I am very aware that this is our third incident here in Plymouth, the second this year."

She said working with all the agencies "has been absolutely great" and "it’s a team effort".

“It was about taking time to be safe, so people didn’t have damaged property.”

Leaper said: “Our efforts around the clock have been focused on allowing everybody to get back to their daily lives as quickly as possible.

“It has been 48 hours of significant demand that has seen a display of tremendous partnership working from all of those involved.

“I would like to express my sincere gratitude to our partners, volunteers, and to the police officers and staff who have worked tirelessly over the past few days.

“The safe removal of this ordnance showed exceptional bravery and skills from military bomb disposal experts.

“Staff from all agencies have played an important role in bringing this matter to a safe conclusion.”

Jonathan Morris
BBC News Online

Plymouth residents have been told that black dust left behind after the controlled explosion of a World War Two bomb is not toxic, as the city continues to recover from the mass evacuation.

Plymouth City Council said Army and Royal Navy explosive experts had confirmed the ash and dust around the detonation site was residue, such as sand, and posed no health risk.

Most of it has already been cleared, with any remaining material expected to disperse safely following heavy rain.

Thousands of people were forced to leave their homes after the unexploded device was discovered in a residential area.

Bomb disposal teams carried out a controlled explosion on Friday.

Jonathan Morris
BBC News Online

Residents and businesses will not be compensated for costs or lost income linked to an evacuation after a World War Two bomb was found, Plymouth City Council has said.

The authority said an evacuation centre, accommodation and welfare support were provided, but residents who made their own arrangements would not be reimbursed.

Businesses have been advised to contact their insurers.

More than 1,200 homes were evacuated.

Mental health support has been made available following what the council described as a stressful and disruptive incident.

People in crisis are being urged to contact NHS mental health services via NHS 111, while additional help is available through NHS Talking Therapies Plymouth and a British Red Cross support line.

Local GP and pharmacy services in the affected area have now reopened, with further services resuming after the bank holiday weekend.

• Residents in Plymouth have been told they can return to their homes after specialists disarmed a World War Two bomb at a building site in Southway
• More than 1,200 homes had been evacuated, with a loud explosion heard as the 250kg (551lbs) bomb was made safe - watch the moment
• Col Nick Handy praised the bomb disposal team and said the “guys and girls on the ground were excellent in everything that they did. We won.”
• The city council said there was no significant damage caused by the detonation

Jonathan Morris
BBC News Online

The discovery of a World War Two bomb in Plymouth has underlined warnings from the military that many more explosive devices are still buried beneath towns and cities across the south coast.

Col Nick Handy, who led the Army bomb disposal team in Plymouth, said German pilots near the end of the war often dropped their remaining bombs as soon as they reached Britain, keen to make it back home.

“As a result, the south coast is probably littered with bombs,” he said.

“Have we found them all? Absolutely not. Will we find more? Absolutely.”

Hundreds of people are returning home after the bomb was detonated in a controlled explosion.

While the presence of unexploded bombs can be unsettling for residents, Col Handy said people should be reassured by the level of preparation involved.

“We train for this, and we do not take it lightly.”

Jonathan Morris
BBC News Online

Bomb disposal experts used specialist charges and intense heat to safely destroy a World War Two bomb in Plymouth, preventing a much larger explosion, according to the army officer leading the operation.

Col Nick Handy said his team used shaped charges to carefully penetrate the bomb and reach the explosives inside, a method he said carried serious risks if anything went wrong.

“If we get that wrong, that is going to initiate that bomb straight away. Today, we got it right,” he said.

A shaped charge is an explosive designed to focus its blast in a specific direction, allowing it to cut through metal or armour rather than exploding outwards in all directions.

Handy said the device burned at about 1,000C (1,832F) for about 10 minutes, with some of the explosives detonating during the process.

“If you thought the explosion was big, it could have been a lot bigger."

He said only about a third of the bomb’s 130kg explosives went off in a "high order" explosion, allowing the operation to be completed safely and residents to return home.

Handy praised the bomb disposal team, and said the “guys and girls on the ground were excellent in everything that they did. We won”.

Jonathan Morris
BBC News Online

Image source, Plymouth City Council

Plymouth City Council said free meals were being made available to residents affected by the bomb incident, after two local schools donated surplus lunches.

Oakwood and Beechwood primary schools prepared extra food to make sure every child was fed during the disruption and asked the council to help pass on any leftovers.

Residents are invited to collect the lunches from Southway Community Centre until 15:30 BST with the council thanking the schools for their generosity.

Zhara Simpson
BBC South West

University of Plymouth history lecturer Dr Harry Bennett said there had been "quite a crop" of bombs discovered in the city in recent years, including in Keyham and Millbay.

He said: "One bomb is enormously disruptive and there's been three in a fairly short measure including this one in Southway.

“It is interesting we’ve had such a crop but all in very different places."

He said some German bombs in WW2 had anti-handling devices and the purpose of those was to cause "maximum disruption".

When the Southway ordnance was detonated, he said: "Hopefully, what you've just heard is the main charge being disposed of which means it's clear and nobody's come to any harm."

Asked how many unexploded devices could still be in the city, he replied "anybody's guess is as good as mine" because when Plymouth was attacked by the Luftwaffe, they were "scattered like confetti".

“In all cases, it’s the process of construction work digging down into the soil which seems to be turning these bombs up," he added.

Jenny Kumah
BBC South West England Correspondent

Terry Watters, 79, lives just outside the cordon. He was on his sofa with his dog when the detonation happened at 11:15 BST.

He felt his house shake and said his dog was terrified. We spoke to Terry yesterday when volunteers asked if he wanted to move out. He said he wanted to stay and didn’t want to end up spending two days or more at an evacuation centre.

He sent his dog away to relatives yesterday but she returned to him this morning - just before the detonation.

Are you one of the residents who had to evacuate your home, do you work in a nearby business or school?

Did you hear the big bang as the bomb was detonated?

Get in touch and let us know how you were or still are affected.

We're interested in hearing your experiences - you can get in contact via this webpage.

Zhara Simpson
BBC South West

The council says Southway Youth and Community Centre will remain open until 15:30, with staff on hand incase people need help and support returning to their homes.

Over the past hour, utility companies and council officers have been on site assessing any damage caused by the controlled detonation, it said.

The authority thanked everyone who was affected for their patience and understanding over the past couple of days.

Zhara Simpson
BBC South West

Col Nick Handy says the two loud thuds heard this morning were the bomb disposal specialists using shift charges to access the side of the ordnance.

Col Handy says they were trying to burn the explosives, and they achieved it.

He says: "The bomb is quite thick, it’s 40mm thick. If we put a big charge straight next to it, we’re just going to put a high charge into the explosives and there’s going to be 130g of explosion and there’s going to be damage.

“We said to you yesterday we didn’t want another Exeter and we wanted to ensure it caused the least damage and we did that today successfully."

A controlled detonation on site in Exeter in 2021 left several buildings damaged.

Jenny Kumah
BBC South West England Correspondent

Multiple camera angles show the moment the World War Two bomb detonated in Southway.

Zhara Simpson
BBC South West

British Army officer and explosive ordnance disposal specialist Col Nick Handy says the explosion today was caused by only a third of the explosives in the bomb.

He says in a press briefing: "It could have been a lot bigger.

"The blast you saw was probably only a third of the explosive in that item of ordnance.

“We set out yesterday to deflagrate that item in order to limit the blast affects and we achieved that successfully today."