Thousands of people have been evacuated from their homes in two seaside towns and a major incident has been declared following the discovery of unexploded World War Two bombs.
Bomb disposal experts rushed to a building site and a marina following the discovery of the explosive devices in Devon.
A “very large” German World War Two bomb was found during routine dredging works at Exmouth Marina yesterday.
Residents living within 400m of the area were evacuated and are still unable to return to their homes.
Around 2,000 homes continue to be impacted, East Devon District Council said in an update this morning.
Military bomb disposal experts have been at the scene since yesterday evening.
Devon and Cornwall Police warned of “significant impacts” to the town and urged people to stay away from the area.
“This is a major incident. There will be significant impacts to the town,” Exmouth Police said in a statement.
Thousands of nearby homes have been evacuated
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EAST DEVON DISTRICT COUNCIL
“This is a very large World War Two German bomb.
“There are multiple emergency services present including bomb disposal teams, and there has been residential evacuations.
“We would ask people to stay away from the area at this time.
“If you live within the current cordons and have any concerns, please speak to officers on the ground.”
Exmouth Marina said in a post to social media it was “closed until further notice”.
It said: “No vessel movements are permitted in or out of the marina at this time. Thank you for your understanding.”
Meanwhile, a number of schools and a hotel have been forced to close in Plymouth after an unexploded World War Two device was found at a building site in Martin Street, Millbay.
Plymouth City Council said it “strongly advise[s]” those living nearby to evacuate, though they were later able to return to their homes.
Another unexploded device was discovered at a building site in Plymouth
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However, it said an additional evacuation of a “small number of properties” could be necessary today.
The local authority said in an update this morning: “Royal Navy bomb disposal experts are currently awaiting specialist X-ray equipment to help determine the safest way to make the WWII device safe.
“We are hopeful this equipment will arrive in Plymouth today.
“However, it’s important to note that a much larger unexploded historic device has been found in Exmouth, which has resulted in a significant evacuation there.
“The same X-ray equipment will also be used in Exmouth, so at this stage we are uncertain about the timings for its arrival in Plymouth.”