Cordon lifted after WW2 bomb removed from docks

A World War Two bomb that prompted the evacuation of hundreds of homes has been safely removed from a harbour area.

Emergency services were called to Falmouth Docks in Cornwall at 09:15 BST on Monday after the suspected 250lb (115kg) "air-dropped" device was found in the water.

A 300m (984ft) exclusion zone was put in place on Tuesday and expanded to 755m (2,477ft) on Wednesday with residents from more than 300 homes asked to leave before 09:00 BST ahead of the bomb being moved.

Cornwall Council confirmed the unexploded bomb had been "safely removed from Falmouth Docks" before 16:00, the cordon removed and residents allowed to return to their homes.

The council said the bomb would be "disposed of in deep water and well out at sea".

Lt Cdr Ben Brown, commanding officer of Bravo Diving Squadron, said there was a 500m (1,640ft) exclusion zone around it and it was on the sea bed in around 20m (66ft) of water.

He said the plan was to leave the bomb for six days before returning to it for disposal because of concerns about the type of fuse.

He explained it was an American device with a 144-hour delay chemical fuse and as a result of the interactions with the device, the fuse could have been set off.

Brown said: "This device is unusual, and we must now wait for a further six days until we are able to safely dive down to attach a small charge to the bomb and complete the disposal operation."

Devon and Cornwall Police said the large-scale evacuation involved 81 police officers and staff as well as 113 volunteers and colleagues from partner agencies.

Supt Ian Thompson, policing commander for west Cornwall, added: "Since the discovery of this 250lb American air-dropped bomb from World War Two on Monday morning, we have seen a display of tremendous partnership working.

"Military bomb disposal experts have shown tremendous skill and bravery in making this ordnance safe.

"Thank you again for your hard work, working long shifts and flexibility to bring the operation to a safe conclusion."

He said the device would be monitored until teams were ready to dispose of the device.

Thompson said: "I think the tactical plan is that there'll be disposal over the coming days, so that when they do dispose of it, it's done in as small a way as possible.

"And the steps that they're taking just take a little bit of time to organise."

Falmouth's All Saints' Church operated as a help centre for residents, with displaced locals given tea, coffee and somewhere to sit.

Among them was Falmouth-based singer Will Keating, who helped lift spirits by singing and playing his guitar.

Jean Elsie, who arrived at the centre after leaving her home on advice, said she "went through the war so it doesn't make much difference".

The 92-year-old added: "In south London, we copped it, so I know all about it, so I don't mind."

Maureen Gill, 89, had not known the cordon was for a bomb and thought the road had been closed for roadworks.

It was only when she listened to the radio that she went and spoke to the team keeping watch over the closure.

"I can't say I was hugely panicked but I was really nosey and wanted to know what was going on," she said.

Falmouth Coastguard's Tom Bolt said a diver had come across the device on Monday and alerted the coastguard.

He said the Ministry of Defence had been called in and experts "assessed the situation and confirmed it".

It is not known for certain why the bomb ended up in the area, but Prof Catriona Pennell, who teaches modern history and memory studies at the University of Exeter, said there were a number of possibilities.

She told the BBC it could have been jettisoned by a US aircraft before it landed, either because of a technical problem or an abandoned mission.

Another possibility is that it rolled off a ship that was unloading at the docks.

Pennell noted large aircraft like the B24 Liberator were designed to seek out German submarines and U-boats in the Atlantic.

She added: "If they were spotted, they needed to be annihilated, and that's what this bomb would have been designed to do."

Thalia Marrington, Cornwall councillor and portfolio holder for public safety, said news the bomb had been safely removed was "the news everyone wanted to hear".

She went on to thank those who worked "tirelessly to keep people safe and support those affected", adding: "I also want to thank residents and businesses for their patience, throughout what has been a worrying and disruptive time."

The council confirmed the device would be disposed of in "deep water and well out at sea" stressing "there will be nothing to see or hear from the shore".

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