The "unplanned" detonation of a World War II bomb sent a huge smoke plume billowing into the sky over a seaside town. Police officers in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, cordoned off part of the town on Tuesday (February 7).
It came after an unexploded World War II device was discovered while workers were dredging in the River Yare. A 400m area was cordoned off at points with hundreds of families and nearby businesses evacuated for three nights, reports NorfolkLive.
Police said the device was around a metre long, weighing 250kg, and was unsafe to move. Before the detonation could be carried out, they built massive sand walls around it to contain the explosion.
And while initial work was due to be carried out to explode the device on Thursday (February 9), gas mains nearby meant work had to stop. However, explosive specialists were able to move back in and work on the bomb throughout the day today.
Shortly after 5pm, they confirmed an "unplanned" explosion had taken place. A Norfolk Constabulary spokesman said: "We can confirm the unexploded World War II bomb in Great Yarmouth has detonated. This was not a planned detonation & happened during slow burn work to disarm the explosives.
"All army and emergency service personnel are accounted for. We will bring you further info when we have it."
The force later added: "The unexploded bomb in Great Yarmouth detonated earlier during work to disarm it. Our drone captured the moment. We can confirm that no one was injured. Public safety has been at the heart of our decision making all the way through this operation, which we know has been lengthy.
"Both 400m and 200m cordons have lifted with most roads reopened in those locations. Southtown Road remains closed while necessary checks on damage take place. People can return to their homes. The Local Resilience Forum have confirmed they’ve stood the major incident response down."
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Great Yarmouth Borough Council chief executive Sheila Oxtoby has thanked the people of Great Yarmouth and Gorleston for patience as complex work to make unexploded bomb safe continues. She said: "‘The comfort and wellbeing of those displaced is our priority and we would like to reassure people that all the agencies involved in this incident are doing everything within their power as quickly as possible to get people home safely.’’
