ONE of two WW2 bombs that caused thousands to be evacuated from their homes has been blown up – and the second will be detonated this morning.
A major incident was declared in Devon yesterday, with schools and hotels closed and thousands of people evacuated.
Bomb squads raced to a building site and a marina after two WW2 devices were found in Plymouth and Exmouth.
In Plymouth, a 100m cordon was put in place at 11.40am on Wednesday after an unexploded German 50kg bomb was uncovered at a building site.
A nearby school and hotel were evacuated, and a further 400m “no-go” cordon was put up.
This means homes with a “line of sight” to the device were advised to leave.
A further 800 residents were evacuated just before midnight last night as the cordon was extended, as cops went door-to-door to tell locals to leave the area.
The Royal Navy bomb disposal team removed the German SC50 bomb – a type of general-purpose explosive used by the Luftwaffe during WW2.
It was placed into a vehicle which was then slowly driven towards Millbay docks and King Point Marina.
There it was placed onto a small RIB boat, attached to a large yellow float.
Shortly before 3am, the council confirmed the bomb had been detonated at sea and people could return to their homes.
The school nearby will remain closed today, however.
A “very large” suspected bomb was also dredged out of Exmouth Marina on the same day, and is due to be blown up at sea this morning.
Those living within 400 metres of the device were told to leave their homes until further notice, and this was extended to 600m overnight.
Around 5,000 people were evacuated initially, with a further 500 yesterday.
Devon and Cornwall Police declared a major incident after the “very large WW2 German bomb” was found.
In a statement, the council said: “Bomb disposal experts from the military have been assessing the device to determine with partners the best possible approach for its disposal.
“After considering all options, partners have agreed that the safest and least impactful option is to carefully transport the device to sea at high tide in the early hours of tomorrow morning [Friday], where it can be disposed of.
“Residents within the cordon are being asked to leave their homes as soon as possible and are encouraged to make arrangements to stay with friends and family.
“Teams from Devon & Cornwall Police, will be in the area to knock on the doors of affected properties to ensure people have the support they need.”
In 2024, another major incident was declared in Plymouth after a man found a WW2 bomb in his garden after hitting it with a spade.
He was helping dig up the back garden of his daughter’s home to prepare it for an extension.
Cops quickly decided to put in place the cordon with a 200m radius and evacuate nearby residents from their homes.
The 500kg shell was later brought out to sea and detonated – following the largest evacuation since WW2.
