Thousands evacuated from homes in Plymouth as bomb disposal team work to disarm explosive

Susanna Siddell
Fri, 01 May 2026 08:48:13 +0000

Thousands have been evacuated from homes in Plymouth as a bomb disposal team works to disarm an unexploded Second World War bomb.

The explosive was found at a building site on Thursday and will now be detonated in situ, officials have confirmed.

More than 1,200 homes have been evacuated as a precaution after the 250kg bomb was discovered in Flamborough Road, Southway, in Plymouth.

Plymouth City Council has confirmed a 400-metre cordon has remained in force around the affected area.

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The authority confirmed the live operation to detonate the device began at 8.15am.

A council spokesman said: "Royal Navy and Army unexploded ordnance specialists have now completed a rigorous and detailed assessment of the device.

"They have advised that it is not possible to safely remove it. The only safe option is to make the device safe in situ, which will involve a controlled detonation.

"This is planned to take place on Friday, once all safety measures are fully in place."

The council confirmed specialists were crafting a "sand mitigation structure" in anticipation of the upcoming blast.

The spokesman added: "You will not be able to see the detonation and people are asked to stay well away from the area.

"A no-fly zone is also in place – drones are not permitted."

The nearby Southway Youth and Community Centre has been opened up for displaced residents.

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It has supported 50 residents so far, while 25 households have been given temporary accommodation as the controlled explosion is carried out.

Local schools, including Oakwood Primary School, Little Acorns Pre-School and Beechwood Primary School, are closed today.

The condition of the fuses in the 80-year-old bomb, which contains 130kg of explosives, made a safe removal impossible.

Colonel Nick Handy, from Eight Engineer Brigade, said: "Unfortunately we cannot get a definitive X-ray of the second fuse and therefore it is not safe to move that item.

"We are going to blow it in situ. When I say blow it in situ, we are going to try our hardest to deflagrate that item and burn it inside of a structure which will limit the damage to the local surroundings.

"I am pretty confident that the mitigation that we put up will limit most of the damage, but we will look to do that at some point on Friday."

"When that thing goes bang for want of a better expression, there will be damage," he added, assuring that they are seeking to limit damage so that "nobody suffers".

Col Handy said: "The mitigation that we put in place should affect only small amounts of damage on the outer extremities of the area."

Between 1941 and 1944, 1,174 civilians were killed during 50 Luftwaffe air raids on the port city.

The heaviest aerial bombardment took place over March and April 1941 in what was known as the Plymouth Blitz.

As a result, the city has been a discovery site for old German bombs.

A 500kg device was even discovered in the back garden of a residential property in Plymouth in 2024.

The discovery triggered one of the largest evacuation operations since the end of the war, with the explosive being detonated at sea.