A second world war bomb found near Wembley stadium has been detonated safely, the Ministry of Defence has said. The discovery of the device on Thursday led to the evacuation of the Britain’s Got Talent studio, as well as 300 nearby homes and many businesses.
The army had warned of a genuine risk to life from the unexploded bomb, which was dropped during Nazi air raids on London in the early 1940s.
Troops in the 11 Explosive Ordnance Disposal in the Royal Logistics Corps tried to defuse the 110lb (50kg) device and removed it from the site, before safely detonating it at a secret location.
Building workers unearthed the bomb which had been deep underground in north London for more than 70 years.
This weekend's games remain unaffected & we look forward to welcoming supporters of all six @football_league Play-Off finalists to #Wembley
— Wembley Stadium (@wembleystadium) May 22, 2015
A Britain’s Got Talent spokesman said: “We were just about to start our rehearsal and were trying to build the set when the building was evacuated. It has not been great, but it is not detrimental at this stage.”
Police were first called to the building site in Empire Way, Wembley, shortly before 3pm on Thursday, following reports of an unexploded device. An army spokesman confirmed it was live munition in a potentially dangerous condition, warning that even a controlled explosion could cause significant damage to property and a genuine risk to life.
The Ministry of Defence said the bomb was discovered just 200 metres from Wembley stadium – the home of English football.
In a statement on their website, the MoD said: “It is believed that the air drop World War Two Sprengbombe-Cylindrisch general purpose 50kg German Bomb was dropped over London during Nazi German bombing raids in the early 1940s but unusually, did not detonate.
“It has lain undisturbed deep in the ground for 70 years but took a few knocks from mechanical diggers when it was unearthed yesterday.”
