A military convoy will today move an unexploded Nazi bomb from a family home in a highly dangerous mission to drop it in the sea.
A major incident was declared on Tuesday when the Second World War ordinance was discovered in the garden of a property in Plymouth, Devon.
Bomb disposal experts decided the bomb would cause too much damage if they detonate it where it lies – potentially destroying multiple homes and sending flying debris into nearby properties.
So, defence bosses have opted to move it intact by military convoy in a rare sea-bound operation – with a 300-metre cordon around 1,200 properties.
Defiant homeowners who have so far rejected calls to evacuate their homes during the four-day drama have now been told they must leave by 2pm for the hazardous mission to begin.
The WW2 bomb will be transported by military convoy to the sea where it will be disposed of by expoerts
Alarmed homeowners were told their homes could be blown up today as disposal experts consider whether to detonate an unexploded WW2 bomb
Bomb disposal experts discussed possible ‘safe places’ to bring the bomb like a local park but concerns were raised about the risks of moving the device
Three property owners may have their homes destroyed as the army and bomb experts are brought in to diffuse the Nazi-era device
In the three-hour window, highly-trained bomb disposal experts will remove the weapon and transport it by military convoy to Torpoint Ferry terminal.
A Plymouth City Council spokesman told residents: ‘The military advice is very clear and for your own safety, you need to leave your home and the area of the cordon by 2pm and we anticipate that you will be able to return by 5pm.’
A number of schools and nurseries will be closed in Plymouth to enable the operation to happen.
These include Keyham Barton Catholic Primary School, Drake Primary School, Morice Town Primary School, UTC Plymouth Pelican Children’s Day Care and Morice Town Children’s Centre and nursery
Trainlines will be closed and ferry and bus services will be suspended or diverted as the convoy travels the 2 miles from the property where the bomb was discovered on Tuesday.
Supt Phil Williams of Devon & Cornwall Police said: ‘Over the last few days, our military colleagues have been assessing a device that was found in the garden of a property in Keyham.
‘They’ve reached a decision now after carrying out those assessments that they plan to move that device, rather than detonate in situ. That’s the least impactful option.
‘A new 300-metre cordon will be put in place and the bomb is going to be taken from the address down to a slipway near the Torpoint ferry where it will be taken out to sea and then safely disposed of.’
Alarmed homeowners were told their homes could be blown up today as disposal experts consider whether to detonate an unexploded WW2 bomb found in a garden.
Residents in three adjoining homes were given just one hour to empty their properties of all their treasured possessions as the four day Plymouth bomb emergency heads towards a climax.
A squad of 25 Royal Navy recruits plus soldiers and other residents joined forces to urgently fill three large removal vans provided by the council last night.
The man who found the bomb as he was digging in his daughter’s back garden fears the property will be sacrificed as local worry insurance firms may not pay up to cover any damage.
Thousands of residents have been evacuated from homes in a 309-metre exclusion zone since the alarming find on Tuesday – but some resolute locals are still staying put.
A police officer speaks to a member of the public after homes are left empty inside a 309-metre exclusion zone
Police officers stand at a cordon after homes were evacuated on Thursday
Teresa Cork and her cat were evacuated yesterday as the cordon around the bomb was extended to cover more than 1,000 homes
On Thursday he told PlymouthLive: ‘Last night my daughter and her two neighbours were brought together for a meeting where they were effectively told to prepare that all three houses were going to be destroyed.
Before leaving, the dad took one last look at the bomb noting that ‘not a single sandbag has been put on it yet’.
The homeowner’s father, who had discovered the bomb with a builder while digging for foundations in preparation for a house extension, fears the property will be sacrificed – leaving his daughter house hunting all over again.
He said: ‘She only lived in the house for a few weeks.
‘I’ve been helping out, doing DIY, sorted out a bedroom for her.
‘We got four rooms re-plastered and were working on the extension for the kitchen.
‘In all I think we’ve spent about £15,000 on refurbishing it.
‘So far, my call to the insurance company has been positive and they’ve said they will cover the cost, but I keep hearing people talk about a War Exclusion clause, which is what happened with the recent Exeter bomb case.
‘My hope is they will honour what they’ve said.’
The worried parent added that he has been told the EOD carried out x-ray scans of the bomb and sent the results to a bomb expert to analyse.
Residents carried small suitcases and bags of their belongings as they left their homes
A police officer speaks to a member of the public after homes were evacuated
Residents raised concerns that they hadn’t organised any accommodation
A WW2 German bomb found in a back garden in Plymouth, Devon
The bomb cordon zone was extended to 309 metres
He claimed they discussed possible ‘safe places’ to bring the bomb like a local park but concerns were raised about the risks of moving the device.
The discovery of the bomb in a back garden in Keyham, Plymouth, has turned the lives of locals upside down as at least 3,250 have had to evacuate their homes in an exclusion zone that was extended yesterday to 309 metres.
Officials began knocking on doors at 8am yesterday telling residents in the extended exclusion zone to leave, with people being told to take enough clothes, medical prescriptions or equipment to last a couple of days.
But residents have now been banned from returning to their homes for a fourth day forcing some to depend on the kindness of friends and families or shell out for hotels.
While others have refused to leave.
Ruth Enoch who lives on Station Road had to move out on Tuesday with her two children, aged nine and six.
They were taken in by a friend on Station Road just outside the cordon but now that house is inside the new exclusion zone and she and her friend have had to leave.
Ruth had no idea where she will stay or when she can return and her children were back in school yesterday.
She said yesterday: ‘I did not leave with anything on Tuesday. We had five minutes to evacuate, I couldn’t pick anything up. The children are still in their school uniforms, they have been wearing them for two days now.
Residents took to social media, saying that despite the warnings they were not going anywhere.
One said: ‘Not myself. It’s not that easy for those with multi pet/pets with additional needs to simply ‘get out’.’
Another said: ‘I have two cats and unable to take them with me and not prepared to leave them on their own for three days.
Members of HM Coastguard Search and Rescue gather after homes were evacuated today
The council asked residents to make arrangements to stay with friends or family
The bomb disposal unit were called to the scene to deal with the bomb on Tuesday
Police worked to evacuate locals with a nearby leisure centre offering support
‘Plus if it’s that dangerous for me why would I leave my cats here to die alone?
‘If I had somewhere for my cats to go then of course I would go. I don’t want them in danger either but I have no where to take them that’s the reason I’m staying.’
And the police have admitted that the residents can’t be ‘forced’ to leave their homes if they choose to stay put.
Police Inspector Paul Laity said there may be a ‘number of reasons’ people may want to stay in their homes and said ‘if somebody wants to stay, it’s up to them’.
Another resident said they had no legal obligation to leave and would be staying put.
They said: ‘I have seven cats. I spoke to the police this morning and you have no legal obligation to leave it’s just recommended, I am literally about 20 metres away from the line and even if they extend it I’m not leaving, I’ll take responsibility for my choice.’
One wrote: ‘I’ve just had the MOD police around and they are fine about me remaining because of my personal circumstances.
‘They are absolutely lovely, took my number and assured me I’ll be able to get back in when I leave the house to go to an appointment today and tomorrow, and thanked me for making provisions for my disabled son to stay elsewhere.’
Another local resident added: ‘I’m not very well at the moment with serious health issues and waiting for urgent surgery any day, so I’m hoping to stay at home to be honest.
‘PCC are aware that we would need accommodation, if the current advice for us does change, so it’s just a case of being patient & waiting for updates I suppose’.
Another posted: ‘My property falls outside of the cordon, but I’m unable to leave as the access to my street is part of the exclusion zone.
‘PCC are aware that we need accommodation if the advice for us does change.
Residents inside the new 309-metre cordon have been forced to take precious belongings
Hundreds of homes have been left empty as thousands of people have been evacuated
Police and ambulance crews were on hand to provide support where needed
Inside Plymouth Life Centre, Devon were prepared for evacuated residents
‘I would sooner they help those in the exclusion zone with children first & don’t want to add to the crisis if there’s no need for me to.
A concerned resident argued: ‘Some don’t yet have accommodation sorted and can’t yet leave.
‘The council are working hard but there’s only been a short window of time to help those with disabled family members etc.
‘So stop attacking those ‘refusing’ to leave.
‘It’s more complex than simply grabbing a bag and vacating’.
Someone agreed: ‘Not everyone’s circumstances are the same.
‘Some people would rather go down with the house they’ve worked for all their life as potentially it wouldn’t be covered on insurance without a court battle.
‘Others may not have long enough left to await a new house being built’.
Another local resident added: ‘To be fair as inconvenient as it may be it’s better than leaving in a body bag.
Matt Longman, Chief Superintendent at Devon and Cornwall Police, said: ‘It means there’ll be more impact on people and I can’t imagine how difficult it is to be dealing with that.
Bomb disposal vehicle at the scene of a cordon in Plymouth
Emergency services have been on hand to deal with the unexploded munition
‘Everybody’s patience that we asked for yesterday has paid off and it has allowed us to get in the best experts we can to get the safest and least disruptive plan as a multi-agency operation.’
It is estimated that at least 1,219 properties have been affected and families have had to find temporary accommodation.
Plymouth City Council is paying for the residents of Keyham to stay in hotels and Airbnbs if they cannot find alternative accommodation.
One mum told the local newspaper that she’d had to shell out £300 on essentials after they were suddenly told to evacuate their homes.
She said she had nothing but the clothes on their backs and her little girl was still in her pyjamas.
