Mortars made safe in a controlled explosion
Contractors carrying out work in Wood Lane discovered two Second World War bombs while they were digging close to BBC Television Centre earlier this week.
The workers, who were digging a trench for an EDF electricity
cable, found the bombs just before
4:00pm on Wednesday (December 9). Each mortar is thought to measure around 18" x 5".
Office workers had to stay in their buildings as the Metropolitan Police's explosives squad was called to the scene in Depot Road.
Laurence Fox, Site Manager for Overbury contractors, discovered the bombs. He said: “The digger driver was excavating about a metre down and I noticed that he had
uncovered something rusty in the ground. It wasn’t obvious that they were old bombs
at first but as soon as we realised what they were it was a bit of a shock and we
called the Police.”
The explosives squad confirmed that the mortars were still live and carried out a controlled explosion on waste ground near Wormwood Scrubs.
Cllr Greg Smith, Cabinet Member for Crime & Street Scene, said: “The communications and close working between the utility company, the Police and the council’s emergency services team ensured that a potentially worrying discovery passed without injury or major disruption.
“I would like to thank everyone involved for their professional and expert approach which ensured the risks to residents, businesses and visitors to the borough was minimised at all times.”
No road closures were necessary and the incident was resolved within a couple of hours.
11 December 2009