Police confirm detonation of WW2 bomb in Great Yarmouth
All personnel are safe and accounted for
Last updated 22nd Dec 2023
Police have confirmed the unexploded World War II bomb in Great Yarmouth has detonated.
They say it was not a planned detonation & happened during slow burn work to disarm the explosives.
All army & emergency service personnel are accounted for.
It followed the announcement of the final phase the operation to disarm the device around half past four this afternoon.
After reinforcing the protective sandbox surrounding the bomb, army specialists revised their original plan to cut the bomb.
They began using a different tried and tested approach in order to bring this incident to a safe conclusion.
The army specialists used a technique that created a slow burn of the explosives to burn off that material. They say it did carry a risk of an unintended detonation, was assessed by experts as the best course of action.
Police tell us at this time there has been no reports of any physical injuries or casualties into any of the three emergency services call centres or attendees at the local A&E department.
Norfolk Constabulary's Assistant Chief Constable Nick Davison and strategic co-ordinating group chair said: “As previously stated, there was always a risk of unintended detonation which is why those mitigation measures had been put in place throughout the operation.
“The device detonated shortly after work had started to disarm the device. The approach had been the safest option to disarm the device, however, it always carried a risk of unintended detonation.
“Thankfully, all personnel have been accounted for and agencies are coming together to assess damage to the river wall.”
Work will now be carried out to assess the damage before the cordon is lifted and people are allowed to return home.