World War II bomb uncovered at Plymouth building site to be detonated after mass evacuation
An unexploded 250kg German SC250 bomb from World War II was discovered at a building site in Plymouth, prompting the evacuation of over 1,000 homes and closure of local schools. Military experts determined the device could not be moved safely and will carry out a controlled detonation in situ. A 400-metre cordon remains in place, and a sand mitigation structure is being built to reduce the blast impact.
- ▪More than 1,000 homes in Plymouth were evacuated due to the discovery of the unexploded bomb.
- ▪The bomb, identified as a 250kg German SC250, will be detonated in place because it cannot be safely transported.
- ▪A 400-metre cordon has been established, and three local schools will remain closed during the operation.
- ▪The controlled detonation is scheduled for Friday, pending full safety preparations.
- ▪Evacuated residents have been assisted at the Southway Youth and Community Centre, with 25 households placed in temporary accommodation.
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NewsUKHome NewsWorld War II bomb uncovered at Plymouth building site to be detonated after mass evacuationMore than 1,000 homes have been evacuated and schools have been closedRod Minchin & Zoe Head-ThomasThursday 30 April 2026 19:01 BSTBookmarkCommentsGo to commentsBookmark popoverRemoved from bookmarksClose popover{"translations":{"comments":"Go to comments","share":"Share","copyLink":"Copy link","bookmark":"Bookmark","removeBookmark":"Remove bookmark"},"showComments":true,"showBookmark":true,"articleId":"b2968375","articleMeta":{"url":"https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/plymouth-bomb-evacuation-german-sc250-b2968375.html","title":"World War II bomb uncovered at building site to be detonated"}}'We do not underestimate the impact' of the incident, police sayYour support…
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