Following the clearance of impenetrable young conifer this winter, our consultant specialists in Unexploded Ordinance found a 9-inch diameter air-dropped bomb.
The unexploded bomb was buried 2ft underground, very corroded, and with a tree growing on top (showing just how long the explosive had been there).
The police and bomb disposal team were called. The area was closed off. The UXO experts carefully dug around the bomb, then removed the detonator and the cone.
A robin took great interest in the hole that was being dug.
The bomb could then be lifted out of the ground and be taken away by the Bomb Disposal Team. By this time is was pitch dark and freezing cold. What a way to spend a Friday night!
Knowing that the site has a history of military use and was used for training during World War 2, we need to continue to check for unexploded ordinance, with all of the conservation work that we do.