Great Yarmouth suspected WW2 bomb leads to major incident being declared

Hundreds of homes are being evacuated following the discovery of an unexploded bomb in a Norfolk town.

The suspected World War Two device, found on Southtown Road, Great Yarmouth at about 11:30 GMT on Tuesday, is expected to be detonated on Thursday.

Police declared a major incident and have been evacuating about 230 properties in a 200m (656ft) inner cordon, with rest centres set up.

Supt Nathan Clark said it was a "very complicated and developing picture".

He added: "We are some way from dealing with it.

"If people refuse to leave the 200m exclusion zone, this will delay the operation because it represents a real risk to people in this area if things don't go to plan."

Everyone inside the inner cordon around Bollard Quay has been ordered to leave their properties.

Those inside the outer cordon, which spans between 200-400m (1,312ft), have been "strongly advised" to go elsewhere.

It means residents in the affected areas now face another night away from home, after they were told to head to rest centres on Tuesday.

The cordons are due to remain in place until at least 11:00 GMT on Thursday, police said.

The device - about 2ft (0.6m) long and weighing about 250kg (39st 5lbs) - was discovered by a contractor working on the third crossing over the River Yare.

It is believed it was dredged out of the river and placed on the quay.

Bomb disposal teams are at the site and the emergency services scaled up their response late on Tuesday after the "risk changed", police said.

Supt Clark said: "Quite often we find munitions which have been washed up at the beach and we deal with that.

"This is very different - it's right in the middle of an urban area - and the size of the bomb and potential damage that could cause is really serious." 

A pillbox-style bunker has been made out of 400 tonnes of sand to soak up the shock of any potential blast.

Supt Clark said he had never dealt with such a large bomb in his career and that a disposal team had to "effectively build a house to make it secure and absorb most of the blast".

Several road closures are in place while the Army's Explosion Ordnance Device team remain at the scene.

Southtown Road is shut from its junction with Tollgate Road to Beccles Road.

William Adams Way and Tollgate Road are also closed, and Litchfield Road and Boundary Road are partially closed.

The bomb disposal team is looking at a 12-hour operation to cut into the bomb before carrying out a controlled explosion.

If successful, the rest of the bomb will be moved out to sea for a further detonation.

Supt Clark said: "There is always a great risk that the bomb would detonate like it would when it was dropped from that plane all those years ago.

"So when police on the cordons say 'you cannot enter', it's really important people heed that advice.

"Police will be there to make sure their homes are protected once they've left."

He advised that anyone who needed access to emergency medications or prescriptions could call 111.

Rest centres at St George's Theatre, in King Street, and Shrublands Youth and Adult Centre, in Magdalen Way, Gorleston, have been opened for affected residents.

Brent Day is one of the residents living close to the site who has been told to leave his home.

"When the police first came round early yesterday evening, they told us what was going on, but there was no state of urgency at that time, so we didn't have to leave," he said.

"They were advising us to but we didn't have to. They've now taken us all out of the buildings."

Billy Seaman, 62, arrived at the St George's centre with his dog Casper on Tuesday and said he had "sat up most of the night".

"[But] it's definitely safer here, the size of that bomb, it makes you wonder what could happen," he said.

Liza Humphrey, 52, said she had to be escorted back to her home on Tuesday night to collect some important medical equipment.

She said she was "very worried" when going back inside the exclusion zone.

A care home that looks after 14 people with dementia has been put on standby to evacuate when the time comes to detonate the bomb.

Sherylanne Hodgins, the owner of Avery Lodge on Southtown Road, said it had been agreed with agencies that residents would hopefully only move out for a short space of time due to their wide range of needs.

"We will sit tight until we absolutely have to go... the minibus is packed," she said.

"We've had to do it before because of floods, but it's the first time we've had to do it because of a bomb."

People who require assistance with evacuation from the exclusion zone can call an emergency helpline on 01493 330369. Police said the number should not be used for general advice.

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