Homes nearby were boarded up in preparation for the blast
The controlled explosion of a WW2 bomb took place in Southway today(Image: William Dax / SWNS)
A bomb disposal expert said his team “didn’t want to have another Exeter” as they tackled the logistics of blowing up the Southway bomb in situ.
The unexploded 250kg German SC250 from the Second World War was discovered in the vicinity of Flamborough Road on the afternoon of Wednesday, April 29.
After nearly 48 hours of disruption, the bomb was safely detonated yesterday (Friday, May 1) in a controlled explosion that required meticulous multi-agency preparation.
Speaking at a press conference earlier in the week, Colonel Nick Handy, from the Army’s 8 Engineer Brigade, explained it was not safe to move the bomb because one of its fuses could not be fully assessed.
Col Nick Handy speaks to the press outside Crownhill Police station, Plymouth(Image: William Dax / SWNS)
Instead, he revealed the plan to use large amounts of sand to cover the bomb before it was blown up where it was, to reduce the amount of shrapnel and fragments spread.
A 400m cordon affecting 1,500 homes had been put in place and residents were urged to “stay away” from the area.
The detonation was successfully carried out at around 11.15am yesterday and residents were able to return to their homes by afternoon.
Following the controlled explosion, Col Handy reflected on their ambition to avoid “another Exeter” and spoke of the efforts taken to ensure that minimal damage was caused.
He told media after the blast: “So we said to you yesterday, we didn’t want another Exeter, and we wanted to ensure that the least damage was done, and we did that today successfully.
An unexploded WW2 bomb that led to the evacuation of more than 1,200 homes has been detonated(Image: Devon & Cornwall Police / SWNS)
“We used shaped charges that penetrated the bomb bit by bit to allow us access to the explosives.
“If we get that wrong, that’s going to initiate that bomb straight away. Today we got it right, and that’s thanks to you to the guys and girls on the ground, who were excellent in everything that they did.”
He estimated the size of the explosion was around a third of the potential size it could have been if not properly controlled, commending the “guys and girls on the ground [who] were excellent in everything that they did”.
Col Handy’s mention of Exeter was a reference to the 1,000kg bomb that was discovered by workmen in Glenthorne Road by Exeter University on February 26, 2021.
At the time, around 2,600 properties were evacuated, including 1,400 students from university premises.
The following day, a decision was made to detonate the 2.55m long bomb in Glenthorne Road rather than move it to a location where the blast would cause minimal disruption or destruction.
However, despite hundreds of tonnes of sand and a special structure being built to contain the blast, many buildings nearby were badly damaged, and shrapnel was sent flying into nearby homes.
This is the moment unearthed WW2 was detonated after it was discovered on private land in Exeter (Image: Exeter City Council / SWNS)
The Army later confirmed it had been unsafe to move the bomb and the controlled explosion was “not possible to prevent”.
When asked about any impact to nearby buildings after the controlled explosion in Southway on Friday, Col Handy told the press: “So there might be some fragmentation that’s fallen out of the sky, but we’ve used the drone, and we’ve done a blast damage assessment with individuals and police cameras to walk around the area to ensure there’s no window breakage, there’s no obvious damage to cars, there’s no damage to buildings.
“We talked [yesterday] about the fact that the bomb unmitigated would cause substantial damage, and mitigated would still cause moderate damage.
“I would suggest to you, we haven’t really caused any damage, and no more than a very heavy hail storm.”
He added that the device burned at about 1,000C for about 10 minutes. “If you thought the explosion was big, it could have been a lot bigger,” he said.
Plymouth City Council later said that the Army and Royal Navy UXO (unexploded ordnance) specialists confirmed that any dust and ash still present around the detonation site is residue, such as sand, and is not toxic.
A spokesperson for the council said: “A significant amount of the dust has already been removed as part of the clean‑up operation, however it was not possible to remove it all.
“With heavy rain forecast imminently, any remaining residue is expected to be safely dispersed.”