School to close over mystery building site objects

A school will be closed on Monday as investigation work starts following the discovery of two unknown objects at a building site in Plymouth.

Millbay Academy said it would be closed to secondary pupils "as a precautionary measure".

Plymouth City Council said the metal items were discovered in December 2023 on a building site between Bath Street and Martin Street in the Millbay area of the city.

The council said on Thursday an evacuation was not planned but it was "planning for all eventualities" ahead of investigation work beginning on Monday.

Residents and a restaurant owner have expressed concern after being told they may need to evacuate.

Ian Creasy, who is among the residents who were told to pack a bag, said: "You can't afford to take the chance because if it goes bang then it is a lot of people.

"I would not accuse the council of overestimating it because the potential is as wide as you want it to be."

Asked whether he would evacuate his home, he said he would rather not get "blown sky high".

He said he also expected the council would provide a "reasonable service".

David Jenkins, who owns restaurant Salumi Bar and Eatery, said he was worried about having to close his business.

"It will be loss of revenue but obviously you need to take into consideration people's safety," he said.

"If something is there, then people need to be evacuated and businesses will have to close and be removed from the area for those precautions."

Mr Jenkins said the effect on his business would be "massive" if the area was shut for a few days.

"We have our first bookings for Christmas next week," he said.

"Hopefully they don't find anything and it all blows over."

Resident Yaz Azizi said the council had a duty to ensure everyone in the area was safe.

"We will have to find a way of dealing with it," he said.

The council said it was thought the items were "most likely harmless metal objects".

"If you live in the Millbay area and are leaving the area on Monday morning for work or for any other reason, you may want to prepare in advance," it said.

"Also, those planning ahead might want to think about what friends or family they could stay with if a cordon was in place overnight, or what arrangements they would need to make for their pets."

In a post on its website, Millbay Academy said it would be closing the school to allow the investigation to go ahead without disrupting students.

It said: "This decision supports safety during investigative work on two underground objects identified near the school site.

"While these items are likely harmless remnants of old infrastructure, further inspection will be carried out by local authority experts to confirm."

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