An unexploded WWII bomb found in a Bath schoolyard led to the evacuation of about 1,000 homes in the southwest English city this week.
The 500-pound bomb was found Thursday beneath a playground at the former Royal High Junior School, where contractors were digging,
the BBC reported. An exclusion zone was soon set up around the site, and 20 roads in the area were shut.
"It was actually in an area we wouldn't expect to find anything — not that we necessarily expect to find a bomb," said Robin Squire of Acorn Properties, which has been working at the site.
The school was vacated in 2014 and contractors are working on a housing development on the site,
The Daily Mail reported.
Police are building a sand barrier around the device, and will then move it to a safe area and conduct a controlled explosion.
The evacuation was expected to last up to 48 hours, but some residents opted to stay put.
"To be fair the bomb's been there for 70 years," But Glyn, who lives "about 150 yards away from the bomb," told the BBC. "I've lived long enough with that bomb next to me and if it was going to go off, it would have gone off by now."
Chief Inspector Kevin Thatcher, of Avon and Somerset Police, thanked residents for their patience.
"Decisions to evacuate houses are never taken lightly but during these incidents public safety will always be our primary concern," he said,
according to the Bath Chronicle.
"We also appreciate the anxiety many in the local community may feel following the discovery of the device and the time required to remove it but we would urge people not to be alarmed. The EOD are working as quickly as they can to remove the device and we will provide regular updates on their progress."
An explosives expert told the Bath Chronicle that the bomb was large enough to create a crater as large as 20 meters (65 feet) and produce deadly shockwaves, if it were to explode.
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