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."

Devon and Cornwall Police says residents are now free to return home as the cordon has been lifted.

Zhara Simpson
BBC South West

Authorities are starting to lift the 400m cordon where properties had been evacuated.

Plymouth City Council says following the completion of safety inspections, the only remaining restrictions will be around the building site itself, near Flamborough Road, where the device was found.

It says a small number of temporary road closures remain in place immediately around the site while highways and cleansing teams carry out clean-up work.

The council says: "The cordons will be physically adjusted over the next hour and we ask for patience while staff complete this work safely."

Zhara Simpson
BBC South West

Southway residents and businesses are being asked for patience to allow "vital safety checks" and damage assessments to be carried out.

The council says there was debris caused by the controlled detonation and thorough safety inspections are now required before people return to their homes, and so the 400m cordon remains in place.

Jenny Kumah
BBC South West England Correspondent

A convoy of big vehicles, including one that looked like a digger, have left the cordon area. There were teams of people in military uniform inside the passenger cabs.

The detonation happened this morning at 11:15 BST.

Plymouth City Council says the device has been made safe but the cordon hasn’t been lifted yet as safety inspections and damage assessments are being carried out.

The military, Devon and Cornwall Police and Plymouth City Council are scheduled to hold a press call at 14:00.

Zhara Simpson
BBC South West

Plymouth City Council says after assessing the device and determining that it was too unstable to move, specialists worked tirelessly to put "extensive mitigation measures in place to manage the risk and allow them to safely carry out their operation".

"This included carefully surrounding the device with hundreds of tonnes of sand and installing protective structures around nearby buildings.

"The experts were hopeful that the operation could be completed without triggering an explosion. However, due to the historic nature of the device and its complex two‑fuse design, this was not possible."

The council says whilst the device itself was now safe, it was essential safety inspections were completed before the cordon can be lifted and residents return to their homes.

"For example, cleaning up and inspecting local buildings," the council adds.

Residents from more than 1,200 properties were evacuated from within a 400m (1,300ft) cordon after the World War Two bomb was discovered on Wednesday afternoon, but what is next for them?

• Whilst the device is now safe, the cordon has not been lifted and people should continue to stay away, Plymouth Council says
• Residents have been encouraged to check the authority's website and social media channels for the latest updates - "We will update further when we know next steps," it has explained
• A press call is due at 14:00 BST with military, police and council officials
• Southway Youth and Community Centre on Hendwell Close remains open as an evacuation centre, where council officials are on hand to provide help and support, and a cafe has been set up