<div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif"><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/aug/11/bethnal-green-second-world-war-bomb-hundreds-home-device-defused"><b>The Guardian</b></a><br>Tuesday 11 August 2015 <br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif"><h1 class="content__headline js-score" itemprop="headline">
Bethnal Green second world war bomb: hundreds go home after device defused
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<p><font size="4"><i><b>Discovery of 500lb German bomb in east London on Monday led to 700 people being evacuated but it has now been safely removed</b></i></font></p></div>
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<a href="http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/aug/11/bethnal-green-second-world-war-bomb-hundreds-home-device-defused#img-1" class="article__img-container js-gallerythumbs">
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<img src="http://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/cb2d7f53b3796e333af201d7a19d42737aed38f6/0_39_1920_1152/master/1920.jpg?w=300&q=85&auto=format&sharp=10&s=3c23b53626b2d67e2f76b8d5883e5aac" class="maxed responsive-img" itemprop="contentUrl" alt="Unexploded second world war bomb discovered at a building site in Bethnal Green">
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<b><font size="1">A military expert examines the unexploded second <br>world war bomb discovered in Bethnal Green on <br>Monday.
Photograph: Reuters
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By <a rel="author" class="tone-colour" itemprop="url name" href="http://www.theguardian.com/profile/nadia-khomami">Nadia Khomami</a></span></p><p class="content__dateline">
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<p>Hundreds of residents in east <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/uk/london" class=" u-underline">London</a>
have been allowed to return to their homes after an army unit spent
more than a day defusing a second world war bomb found on a building
site.</p>
<p> The 500lb German bomb was discovered by contractors in the basement
of a property on Temple Street in Bethnal Green at lunchtime on Monday.
Police put in place a 200-metre hazard zone and <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/aug/11/hundreds-evacuated-in-bethnal-green-after-second-world-war-bomb-discovery" class=" u-underline">evacuated 700 people</a> from local houses and businesses. </p>
<p>Experts from the <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/uk/ministry-of-defence" class=" u-underline">Ministry of Defence</a>
arrived at the site at around 5pm to defuse the device and continued to
work throughout Monday night and Tuesday morning. Families were
evacuated to nearby Bethnal Green academy, where Tower Hamlets council
had set up a rest centre with beds, food, drinks and washbags.</p>
<p>On Tuesday, the mayor of Tower Hamlets, John Biggs, said: “I am
pleased to announce that residents can return home as the unexploded
bomb has been safely removed and defused. Many thanks to the emergency
services who worked tirelessly with us to make the area safe as soon as
possible.</p>
<p> “My thanks also go out to our residents who have been incredibly patient and understanding throughout this incident.”</p>
<p> Earlier on Tuesday, Matthew Burroughs, a station manager for the
London fire brigade, said the process was proving difficult because of
the location of the bomb. “It’s in the basement of a property. All the
disposal unit can do is make it reasonably safe, but they’ve then got to
get the bomb out. It’s hoped at some time today the bomb will be
removed from the property, but it’s difficult because we can’t just
carry it out the doorway, it’s a 500lb bomb,” he said.</p>
<p>One resident, Glynn Russell, said: “I found out I couldn’t get home
at around midnight. Police told me to come to the school. I stayed awake
all night because I couldn’t sleep. I just spoke to my neighbour. It
wasn’t very comfortable but staff did their best.</p>
<p>“There were canvas metal bed frames for everyone, like camping beds.
People were concerned about getting home to their clothes and
medication. I don’t think I’ll be going in to work today. I’ve been up
for 24 hours.”</p>
<p>Students from the school volunteered to help. Jake Hamilton, 14,
said: “I felt sorry for the people who have been evacuated so we decided
to come and support them.”</p>
<p>His mother, Mary Hamilton, added: “We heard about the bomb last night
and came to the school around 9pm to see what’s going on. We’ve been up
all night.”</p>
<p>An MoD spokesman said that a specialist military bomb disposal team
from 11 EOD Regiment, Royal Logistics Corps, helped defuse the bomb.
Earlier this year, the squadron defused similar bombs <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/mar/25/bermondsey-bomb-destroyed-controlled-explosion" class=" u-underline">in Bermondsey, south London</a>, Wembley in the north-west of the city and in White City, west London.</p>
</div><br clear="all"></div><div><div class="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><font face="Tahoma, sans-serif" color="#990000"><span style="font-size:10px"><b>=========================================</b></span></font></div><font face="Tahoma, sans-serif" color="#990000"><span style="font-size:10px"><b>CHUCK SEARCY</b></span></font><div><font face="Tahoma, sans-serif" color="#990000"><span style="font-size:10px"><b>International Advisor, Project RENEW</b></span></font></div><font face="Tahoma, sans-serif" color="#990000"><span style="font-size:10px"><b>Vice President, Veterans For Peace Chapter 160<br></b></span></font><font face="Tahoma, sans-serif" color="#990000"><span style="font-size:10px"><b>Co-Chair, NGO Agent Orange Working Group</b></span></font><font face="Tahoma, sans-serif" color="#990000"><span style="font-size:10px"><b><br>US +1 404 740 0653<br></b></span></font><div><font face="Tahoma, sans-serif" color="#990000"><span style="font-size:10px"><b>VN +8 490 342 0769</b></span></font></div><div><font face="Tahoma, sans-serif" color="#990000"><span style="font-size:10px"><b>E <a href="mailto:chuckusvn@gmail.com" target="_blank">chuckusvn@gmail.com</a></b></span></font></div><font face="Tahoma, sans-serif" color="#990000"><span style="font-size:10px"><b>Sk chucksearcy</b></span></font><div><b style="color:rgb(153,0,0);font-family:Tahoma,sans-serif;font-size:10px">=========================================</b><font face="Tahoma, sans-serif" color="#990000"><span style="font-size:10px"><b><br></b></span></font></div></div></div></div></div></div>
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