More than 150 bombs from World War II have been found under children's playgrounds in northern England, with more concerns remaining, officials said.
The bomb was discovered as an ongoing construction project to renovate the playground at Scotts Park in Wooler, a small town in Northumberland, England, near the border with Scotland. The BBC reported on January 14 that workers found “suspecting objects” while digging into the foundations. It turned out to be a practice bomb, or a non-spread bomb that is used in training but can still be harmful.
The Uhler Parish Council has enlisted to investigate the site to investigate the Brimstone Site, a company specializing in misfire weapons, council officials said in a news release.
Brimstone arrived on January 23 for what appears to be a two-day investigation, but it soon became clear that the scale of the problem was much larger than everyone expected. “We did,” wrote the Parish Council.
On the first day, Brimstone identified an additional 65 practice bombs, each weighing 10 pounds, and a smoke cartridge.
On the second day of work on the site, Brimstone retrieved 90 more practice bombs and safely removed them in designated storage areas, the council writes.
The BBC reported that the Ministry of Defense ordered a full investigation of the site.
The bombs are practice bombs, but “they are still earning fees” require removal by experts, but the release of the parish council said, “These are still known to be unharmed – explosions He added that the barster and smoke are full of people, and it can still be particularly dangerous.”
A Northumberland County Council spokesman called the discovery “unexpected.”
Wooler official Mark Mother told the BBC that about a third of the park has been cleared and there could be more bombs.
“It's quite a bit of a thought to think kids are playing with bombs,” Mother said.
Mother said Wooler was a homeguard training center. Volunteer civil militias considered the final line of defense against the Germans during World War II.
“After the war, it seemed like they buried all their weapons in one of the pits,” Mother said.
The Ministry of Defense said the team visited the site twice in January, but that did not provide further details.
The Uller Parish Council said it hopes contractors can resume work in April after the site is declared safe.
Brimstone, the Department of Defense, Mr. Mother, Wooler Parish Council and Northumberland County Council did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
