Residents return home after WW2 bomb detonated

An unexploded World War Two bomb found in Coventry has been made safe two days after its discovery.

The device was found on Tuesday afternoon during building work at Sandy Lane Business Park, Radford, prompting a response from police and other emergency services, Coventry City Council and military personnel.

A total of 96 homes were evacuated on Tuesday evening. A cordon at the site has since been lifted and residents have been allowed to return home.

Assistant Chief Constable Mike O'Hara from the West Midlands force said: "I would like to thank everyone for their co-operation and support over the last day to bring this to a safe conclusion."

Resident Sean O'Brien was working from home when police knocked on his door to tell him the unexploded bomb had been found on the neighbouring building site.

He told BBC CWR he and his partner Jessica went for a drive and got something to eat, expecting to be back inside within a few hours - but returned to find the cordon had been extended further.

Speaking on Wednesday morning, O'Brien said: "We stayed in the car nearby but I eventually got a phone call from somebody at the police who was in charge of the bomb disposal. They said 'have you got anywhere to stay tonight'?"

He said his partner, who has fibromyalgia and diabetes, was unable to spend the night on the floor at the council's rest centre so the couple ended up booking a hotel.

According to police, council staff worked overnight into Wednesday, opening a rest centre at Central Library which remained open until after midnight and supported almost 50 people.

Andreea Antar, who is 32 weeks pregnant and has a six-year-old child, said she was unable to use the library because she also has a dog.

She said she had nowhere to go for five hours and said there was "no plan of action" or consideration for people who were vulnerable.

She said she appreciated the evacuation call, but found it "very upsetting".

The city council has been contacted for comment.

The Sandy Lane site, where the bomb was found, has been at the centre of major regeneration plans for several years.

Planning documents submitted in October 2024 proposed up to 250 homes focused around the Daimler Powerhouse - a former factory building now used as a creative hub - with public spaces and walking and cycling routes.

Coventry historian Pete Walters said he believed the bomb was most likely dropped during the November 1940 Blitz - the raid the Germans called Operation Moonlight Sonata.

He told BBC CWR: "The big site at Radford was targeted during that raid and I suspect, but I'm not entirely sure, that this probably happened at the same time.

"I've no doubt, really, that this is one of the bombs that were dropped on that factory, which did not explode, [and it's] been there all these years."

Mary Creagh, MP for Coventry East, has thanked council, emergency and specialist services for their response.

She added: "85 years after the Blitz the legacy of World War Two is still disrupting daily life in Coventry."

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