AN UNEXPLODED bomb from the Second World War has been safely dealt with.
The bomb was discovered during construction work at the Sandy Lane Business Park in Radford at 2.55pm on Tuesday (June 2).
Police, emergency services and Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) soldiers from 8 Engineer Brigade carried out a controlled detonation of the fuse and safely removed the bomb yesterday evening (Wednesday June 3).
Staff from Coventry City Council’s Housing and Homelessness team and West Midlands Police’s Emergency Duty Team established a rest centre at Central Library to provide overnight accommodation for 37 people from 15 households in the area which had been evacuated.
Council teams also supported the operational response, with colleagues at Whitley Depot sourcing 340 tonnes of sand, delivered to the site by 6am to assist EOD in safely managing the device.
For the public’s safety, a 100-metre cordon was put in place, resulting in 96 homes being evacuated.
Assistant Chief Constable Mike O’Hara, who led the partnership response, said: “Our approach throughout has been to keep everyone safe while minimising disruption to the local community.
“Coventry City Council has provided significant support to displaced residents and worked closely with partners to ensure people had access to accommodation and welfare support.
“Thanks to EOD’s expertise and the dynamic render safe planning the cordon was kept to a minimum of 100 metres, preventing a much wider evacuation and limiting disruption to homes and businesses.
Col Nick Handy commended all his soldiers for their efforts.
He said: “I would like to thank everyone for their co-operation and support over the last day to bring this to a safe conclusion.”
Assistant Chief Fire Officer Richard Stanton said: “Coventry Fire Station was designated as the official rendezvous point for the operation, providing a central and secure location for emergency responders and partner organisations to coordinate activity and maintain situational awareness.
“Its close proximity to the detonation site proved invaluable. The station offered a safe and accessible base for operational briefings, welfare support, and rest and recovery, enabling personnel from multiple agencies to work together effectively throughout the incident.
“We would like to thank everyone involved in making these arrangements possible. The successful outcome reflects the professionalism, cooperation and shared commitment of all those who worked to protect and support the local community.”
See above to watch West Midlands Fire Service’s drone footage of the moment of the controlled detonation.
