Beagle breaking news: bomb alert in Millbay means we might have to pack our bags!
Beagle breaking news: bomb alert in Millbay means we might have to pack our bags!
UXB experts investigating two "objects" on Monday: residents told to plan for possible evacuation.
Bomb alert in Millbay - we might have to pack our bags!
Experts in unexploded bomb investigations will be in Millbay on Monday (November 18) looking at two mystery objects discovered on the patch of unused land between Bath Street and Martin Street.
And while Plymouth Council says the objects are “most likely” reinforced concrete, or pieces of railway track, it is planning for all eventualities.
And that means residents might be evacuated from their homes - and might have to spend Monday night staying elsewhere.
The council said this afternoon (Thursday): “Residents leaving on Monday morning e.g. to go to work or an appointment, might want to consider packing a bag to take with them, to include any medication, mobility aids, a change of clothes, battery or phone chargers or clothes/items for children.
“Also, those planning ahead might want to think about what friends or family they could stay with, if a cordon was in place over night, or what arrangements they would need to make for their pets.”
The Council-owned land where the objects have been found is in the early stages of development to transform the site into new Plymouth Community Homes social housing.
As part of the ground investigation works, two “magnetic anomalies” were identified underground last month - halting all ground work. The “anomalies” could be a number of things e.g. industrial machinery or metal objects from historical commercial activity.
Specialist bomb disposal company Brimstone UXO and military bomb disposal teams will be carrying out an ‘uncovering’ to establish what the anomalies are.
Should the experts find that one or both are WW2 ordnance, they would need to assess the device/s and determine how best to make them safe. Plymouth Council says there is a small chance that a cordon would need to be put in place. Details of how large the cordon would be, or how long it would be in place, would be determined by experts’ assessment of the items on the day.
In February the discovery of a WW2 bomb in a garden in Keyham sparked disruption, and a 200-metre cordon was put in place, forcing dozens of people out of their homes.
