More than 3,000 people have been given two hours to leave their homes after a suspected World War Two bomb was found in a garden.
The unexploded device was discovered in Plymouth’s Keyham area on Tuesday morning, sparking days of frantic investigations by bomb experts on how best to deal with it.
On Friday they decided the 500kg bomb will be driven along a cordoned-off route through Plymouth, boarded onto a ship and disposed of at sea.
Plymouth City Council announced at midday that anyone living within 300 metres of the garden on St Michael Avenue, and the route to Torpoint Ferry slipway, must evacuate by 2pm and may not be allowed back until least 5pm.
The Ministry of Defence called it ‘one of the largest UK peacetime evacuation operations since WW2’.
An alert was sent to people’s phones using the government Emegency Alert system which was tested nationally and set live in April last year.
It’s thought this is the first real-life incident in which the system has been desployed.
One resident told PlymouthLive: ‘[It] was completely surreal as everyone’s [phones] in Devonport park all went off at once.’
The area covers 1,219 properties with an estimated 3,250 people living in them.
A helpline has been set up and a council-run leisure centre, Plymouth Life Centre, will support anyone who has nowhere else to go.
In the meantime, trains and ferries in Plymouth have been suspended and buses are being diverted.
The council said it will keep residents updated and announce when the area is reopened.
A council spokesperson said: ‘It is a very complex situation, and a number of factors need to be considered by the members of the resilience forum, alongside the overriding objective of people’s safety, including damage to property and impact on underground utilities.
‘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 (beyond the breakwater).’
‘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.’
Bomb disposal experts from the Army and Royal Navy carried out X-ray scans and excavations to assess the risk.
Images from the excavation site appeared to show a large rusted metal object of a shape consistent with bombs used by the Luftwaffe, such as the 500kg SC500 which was a staple of the Blitz.
Devon and Cornwall Police declared a major incident immediately after the device was found.
What route will the bomb take?
Around 1,219 homes and 3,250 people have been evacuated after the cordon was extended to 309m on Thursday morning.
Plymouth City Council said: ‘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.’
Roads in Plymouth impacted by the cordon include:
Alexandra Road
Alexandra Terrace
Alfred Place
Alfred Road
Barton Avenue
Beatrice Avenue
Bedford Street
Berkshire Drive
Brunel Avenue
Brunel Terrace
Cambridge Road
Clyde Street
Cotehele Avenue
Epworth Terrace
Henderson Place
Kempe Close
Kent Road
Maristow Avenue
Moor View
North Down Crescent
North Down Gardens
Ocean Street
Parkside
Railway Cottages
Renown Street
Royal Navy Avenue
Sanctuary Close
St. Aubyn Avenue
St. Michael Avenue
Station Road
Sussex Road
Sussex Terrace
Townshend Avenue
Warleigh Avenue
York Terrace.
People on these roads have been advised to seek temporary accommodation over the next few days.
The Life Centre is open for people who can not stay with friends and family and according to Plymouth City Council, 340 people have already visited the centre.
What type of bomb is it and how big?
According to archivists, it is believed the bomb is German and fell on Plymouth during World War II.
The MoD said it as a SC500 transverse fuzed airdrop weapon which, was a ‘general demolition bomb’ according to the Luftwaffe Resource Centre’s website.
It is believed the 500kg (1,102lb) explosive fell during one of the heaviest nights of bombing in the city.
Staff at a museum called The Box in Plymouth used ‘bomb maps’ to conclude it was dropped on April 22 or April 23 1941.
Maps which have been digitised by staff at the museum show a line of bombs exploded on the St Thomas Avenue area where the bomb was found on those dates.
It shows a couple of gaps along the route where the bombs were dropped including one around where the cordon has been put up. (Metro)