Plymouth Second World War bomb that forced evacuation of 3,250 people to be detonated at sea

An unexploded World War Two bomb which was found on a residential street in Plymouth will be detonated at sea later today, Plymouth City Council has announced.

The bomb was found by Devon and Cornwall Police on Tuesday (February 20) on St Michael Avenue in the Keyham area of the city. The discovery of the unexploded bomb led to the evacuation of 1,219 properties and a 300-metre cordon was set up by police, with 3,250 people believed to be have been moved out.

In a statement, the council said: "Following more information about the device and after considering all options, including a controlled detonation on site, partners have agreed that the safest and least impactful option is to remove the device from St Michael Avenue and travel to the Torpoint Ferry slipway – for the bomb to be disposed of at sea.

“Highly trained bomb disposal experts will carefully remove the device from the property and it will be transported by road in a military convoy, west along Parkside and Royal Navy Avenue, joining at the junction on Saltash Road to continue south joining Albert Road, turning right along Park Avenue and heading down Ferry Road to the Torpoint Ferry terminal."

The council added that residents living within a 300-metre radius of the route the bomb will take have been told to evacuate by 2pm on Friday February 23. An assessment of the bomb and the scene determined that if it had exploded, the risk of damage to surrounding would be too high, but the risk has been reduced ahead of the planned move towards the sea.

Schools and nurseries will close, while businesses on the route have also been told to evacuate. The council added: “Once the operation is complete, the police will begin to reopen the roads. Everyone must avoid the area during this period.

“We are very grateful for the patience of residents at this difficult time and all agencies are doing everything they can to minimise any ongoing disruption. We will aim to keep residents informed throughout the operation.”