Major incident ongoing after unexploded bomb found in Great Yarmouth
People have been evacuated whilst specialists deal with the incident
Last updated 22nd Dec 2023
A major incident is ongoing after an unexploded World War Two bomb was found in Great Yarmouth.
Nearby residents have spent the night in evacuation centres at St Georges Theatre and a local youth centre.
Police say road closures are expected to stay in place well into today as they work with specialists to make the area safe.
Officers were called to the junction of Southtown Road and Boundary Road at around 11:36am.
It's thought the device was uncovered during dredging work near Bollard Quay, which was being carried out by a contractor working on the third river crossing.
A 400m cordon is now in place.
What are the police saying?
Local policing commander Chief Inspector Matt Dyson said: “Our priority will always be the safety of the public and we’re working alongside our partners and taking advice from army experts around cordons while work continues to safely resolve the incident.
“We appreciate the measures put in place for people’s safety will cause some disruption however public safety is paramount and we would advise people these restrictions will be in place overnight and into tomorrow.
“Rest centres have been opened and officers along with staff from the borough council are visiting homes to check and identify any vulnerable people who need assistance.”
The rest centres are at the following locations:
St Georges Theatre – King Street, Great Yarmouth
Mesh – Shrublands Youth and Adult Centre, Magdalen Way, Gorleston
Road closures
The following roads are now closed:
• Southtown Road – closed from its junction with Tollgate Road all the way to Beccles Road.
• Litchfield Road, off Southtown Road, is partially closed.
• Williams Adam Way, off Southtown Road, is closed.
• Boundary Road, off Southtown Road, is partially closed.
• Tollgate Road, off Southtown Road, is closed.