Citizens evacuated as police warn Great Yarmouth bomb could explode anytime

Citizens evacuated as police warn Great Yarmouth bomb could explode anytime

Great Yarmouth WWII Bomb - Image Twitter PeterTheMan

The police have warned that the WWII bomb discovered in a Great Yarmouth building site yesterday could explode at any time.

The warning came on Wednesday, February 8 with the police evacuating anyone within 200m of the site. According to ITV News, the police are genuinely concerned that the bomb could explode causing “shrapnel injuries and damage buildings.”

Bomb disposal experts spent the day building a sand dome around the device to cushion the impact of any explosion.

Despite the warning, Superintendent Nathan Clark from Norfolk Police said some people had still to leave their homes, adding: “We are now delivering a much harder message: you must go.

“If that bomb goes off you’re looking at shrapnel injury, you’re looking at potential damage to local buildings and infrastructure, so there is a real risk now.”

It is understood that the bomb disposal team were planning a safe controlled detonation hence the need for the sand dome, but that it could be delayed if people did not evacuate the area.

He said: “That means they’ve had to build quite a substantial sandblast area around the bomb because there is quite a real possibility that it could actually go off” adding that “even with that sandblast wall that still packs a real punch.”

He finished by saying: “This is unprecedented, it’s not often we find something of this magnitude right in the middle of our town, right in the middle of our community.”

If the controlled detonation fails, the bomb will be towed out to sea where a further attempt will be made to explode the 250kg device.

Citizens have been told to evacuate by police as the bomb could explode anytime, but if anyone is unsure or requires assistance they have been told to call the emergency helpline – 01493 330369.


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Written by

Peter McLaren-Kennedy

Originally from South Africa, Peter is based on the Costa Blanca and is a web reporter for the Euro Weekly News covering international and Spanish national news. Got a news story you want to share? Then get in touch at editorial@euroweeklynews.com.

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