Mortar bombs found outside Beeb

Friday December 11, 2009

Shocked workmen uncovered two Second World War bombs while they were digging a trench close to BBC TV Centre earlier this week.

The Metropolitan Police’s specialist explosives officer along with local Police were immediately despatched to the scene on Depot Road, Shepherds Bush, after contractors discovered the unexploded mortars.

Workers, from Overbury contractors, were digging a trench for an EDF electricity cable – near the BBC’s Wood Lane buildings – when they found the bombs just before 4:00pm on Wednesday (December 9). Each mortar is thought to measure around 18" x 5".

H&F Council’s CCTV Control Room was made aware of the unfolding situation, via MPS Airwave radio, who then alerted the council’s emergency response team. Office workers were confined to their buildings after the discovery while the Met’s explosives squad, codenamed EXPO, was scrambled.

Laurence Fox, Site Manager for Overbury contractors, discovered the bombs. He says: “The digger driver was excavating about a metre down and I noticed that he had uncovered something rusty in the ground. It wasn’t obvious that they were old bombs at first but as soon as we realised what they were it was a bit of a shock and we called the Police.”

The EXPO team, who confirmed that the mortars were still live, made them safe by conducting a controlled explosion on waste ground near Wormwood Scrubs.

Praising the response of the emergency services Cllr Greg Smith, Cabinet Member for Crime & Street Scene, says: “The communications and close working between the utility company, the Police and the council’s emergency services team ensured that a potentially worrying discovery passed without injury or major disruption.

“I would like to thank everyone involved for their professional and expert approach which ensured the risks to residents, businesses and visitors to the borough was minimised at all times.”

No road closures were necessary and the incident was resolved within a couple of hours.