A children’s playground in the United Kingdom (UK) has been transformed into a potential danger zone after the discovery of over 160 unexploded practice bombs from World War II, prompting officials to shut down the premises for public safety.
The practice bombs were detected during a thorough survey of the play area by Wooler Parish Council officials, who were investigating the presence of additional ordnances after one was discovered last month during playground expansion work.
According to the council, on Wednesday, the work began on January 23 and was initially scheduled for a two-day survey, but it soon became apparent that the scale of the problem was far greater than anyone had anticipated.
On the first day of the search, a total of 65 unexploded practice bombs, weighing approximately 10 pounds each, were recovered in an area of less than one square mile, with smoke cartridges also being recovered from the same site. While over 90 more were retrieved after the agency expanded its search to a two-mile radius on the second day.
“Whilst this ordnance is described as practice bombs, they do still carry a charge and, given the numbers involved, need to be recovered by professionals to satisfy all concerned that the playpark area is once again safe for contractors and ultimately users of the equipment,” city officials said.
Speaking during a briefing, the council spokesperson said, “Our main concern is to make the site completely safe and to restart the installation of the fully inclusive playground as soon as practical.”
A representative from Brimstone Site Investigations said that its team of engineers was working on-site to safely remove and dispose of all the bombs, but that it was unable to provide further comment for safety and operational reasons until the job was completed.
