The Second World War bomb found in the Royal Docks in east London is now being transported to a secure area to be safely detonated further down the Thames.
The half-tonne device dropped by the Luftwaffe during the London Blitz some 77 years ago was uncovered in the King George V Dock at Silvertown in the early hours of Sunday morning.
It was uncovered close to the London City Airport runway during routine maintenance work on Sunday.
Met Police frogmen from their Thames base at Wapping were joined by a Royal Navy dive team to bring the bomb to the surface and take it to a remote part of the dock.
The airport was completely shut down for 24 hours and train services on the DLR were suspended.
An ‘exclusion’ zone was set up, ready to transport the bomb safely down river.
But homes within the zone had to be evacuated. Families in Silvertown and North Woolwich were put up in emergency accommodation overnight by Newham Council, then allowed back this-morning with the bomb now safely downriver.
Airport chief executive Robert Sinclair confirmed: “The ordnance discovered in King George V Dock has been safely removed and the exclusion zone now lifted.”
The airport was shut for 24 hours, but is now reopened with all flights resumed.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here