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

Officials from the military, Devon and Cornwall Police and Plymouth City Council will hold a press call at Crownhill Police Station at 14:00 BST.

Zhara Simpson
BBC South West

One resident who lives in Southway and went to stay at her parent's house with her son when they were evacuated, says this is the second time she has been evacuated for a WW2 bomb in Plymouth.

The first time was in 2024 when a 500kg bomb was found in Keyham, near where she was working.

Claire Hearl says: "When I was evacuated from the shop with the Keyham bomb, I didn't quite feel the enormity of the situation because that wasn't my home. But this time it was my home, it did hit a bit differently.

"I do hope I can get back because I have a rugby match in London to play and I need my clothes."

She says the last 48 hours have been a "little bit crazy" and she feels a sense of "relief" now the bomb has been dealt with.

Angela Kalwaites
BBC Radio Devon

There was a big, unmistakable bang and I leapt about a foot in the air.

We were right by the cordon when it happened and it was one of those things that really made you jump.

Lots of people came out of their houses in the area near Oakwood Primary School to have a look.

One lady said she had been drinking her cup of coffee when the bang happened and she ended up spilling it everywhere.

There's a lot of curiosity because they didn't know if it was going to happen like that, or at what time.

The police say they're not going to remove the cordon yet and it may be this afternoon before they allow residents to go back into their homes.

Jenny Kumah
BBC South West England Correspondent

Andrei and his partner, along with their two dogs, have been parked up near the cordon edge in their van. They have been staying in the vehicle since Wednesday when they got a knock on the door asking them to leave their home near where the device was found.

Andrei says: “We can’t get home so we park somewhere just for the day enjoy the day and spend the night - it’s not bad, it’s a little holiday” Andrei says he’s not too worried about any potential impact on his home.

"They are doing a good job. They put a lot of sand around so the impact is probably not going to be much.”