Emergency services have carried out a mass evacuation after a discovery of an unexploded World War Two bomb,which was found at a former junior school in the city of Bath.
Around a 1000 homes have been evacuated this evening (May 12) with many people using emergency rest centres set up by the council.
A police spokesman Sam Malone said that a 300-metre cordon had been set up around the former Royal High Junior School after police received a call about a device just before 5pm on Thursday.
The large device was unearthed by workers who were working on Landsdown road on the site of the bomb. It’s thought that the 500lb unexploded bomb is from the Second World War.
A military Explosives Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team was called in to assess the scene and cordoned-off the area was which was later widened.
Up to 1,000 homes in the area were evacuated as the evacuees were directed to Bath Racecourse or the pavilion,roads were closed and traffic was re-routed away from the area.
Other emergency services have been called to the scene along with utility engineers who attended to shut off local gas, water and electricity supplies.
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It is thought that the bomb squad then set about defusing the bomb, which was found a metre down at a site that was a playground until a few years ago.
The police spokesman said: “We are working closely with our partner agencies to limit the disruption caused.
“Road closures around the site have also been put in place and we are advising motorists they will need to find alternative routes.”
Inspector Gavin Usher said: “We would like to thank everyone who has been inconvenienced for their patience while we deal with this incident.
“Decisions to evacuate houses are never taken lightly but during these incidents public safety will always be our primary concern.”
