Posted on February 23, 2017
Trains and ferries were cancelled and residents advised to stay in their homes following the discovery of the German Second World War bomb in Portsmouth Harbour.
Several pieces of unexploded ordnance have been found since work started to deepen the harbour channel to enable the next generation of carriers to access the Navy base.
A Hampshire police spokeswoman said: “The unexploded ordnance found in Portsmouth Harbour this morning is now being moved to a safe place by the Royal Navy Ordnance Disposal and our police operation has been stood down.
“Public transport links will be returning to normal. Portsmouth Harbour and Gunwharf Quays are now open to the public.”
A Navy spokesman said: “The German SC250 bomb was found in the early hours of this morning in the excavator head of a barge dredging the harbour – part of a raft of infrastructure upgrades taking place in readiness for the arrival of the Royal Navy’s new 65,000-tonne aircraft carrier.
“Divers from the Royal Navy’s Portsmouth-based Southern Diving Unit 2 are on the scene.”
Lieutenant Mike St Pierre, the officer leading the bomb disposal team, said: “As always, the Royal Navy stands ready to respond to these call-outs and keep people safe.
“Despite being old, these devices can pose a very serious threat.”
The SC250 bomb weighs 500lb and contains 290lb of high explosives.
Source: Belfast Telegraph
