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Chronicle Live
Chronicle Live
National
Daniel Hall

Bomb squad called to Northumberland town after unexploded device discovered

A main road in a sleepy Northumberland village was closed this afternoon after an unexploded bomb was discovered.

Emergency services were called to Townfoot in Rothbury after a member of the community discovered the device on the building site of the town's new Co-op store.

The road was closed for an hour from 1pm as Northumbria Police and specialist bomb disposal teams attended to make the area safe. It has now been reopened to traffic.

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Coun Steven Bridgett said that it wasn't the first time that an unexploded device had been found in the village. He said: "We had one in the first school field a few years and and they just blew it up on the field and we had another one in 2016 from the firing range at Otterburn.

"It was discovered by one of our Ukrainian residents, he reported it in. I think the main road through the village was only shut for an hour or an hour and 15 minutes before they reopened it."

A spokesperson for Northumbria Police said: "Shortly after midday today, we received a report that a suspected unexploded device had been discovered at a construction site on Townfoot, Rothbury. Officers and bomb disposal experts attended the scene to dispose of the item safely."

The Ministry of Defence has been approached for comment.

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