Ordinary household item sparks major bomb scare near primary school in South London

An ordinary household found in most garden sheds has sparked a major bomb scare in South London. Police were called to the scene in Dulwich shortly before midday on Tuesday (April 19) following reports a suspected World War Two bomb had been discovered.

The bomb squad arrived at the scene on Hawarden Grove, close to the Rosendale Road playing fields which are near Rosendale Primary School, Oakfield Preparatory School, and West Dulwich train station, within minutes.

Enquiries quickly established that what was originally thought to be part of a bomb from the Second World War turned out to be a metal part of a lawnmower. A police cordon was put in place for more than an hour while specialist officers dealt with the incident.

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Rosendale Road was blocked in both directions between Turney Road and Lovelace Road, as traffic diversions were put in place. A Metropolitan Police spokesperson confirmed: “Officers were called at 11.25am on Tuesday, April 19 to Hawarden Grove, SE24. A suspected item of WW2 ordinance had been found in a garden.

“Local road closures were put in place while specialist officers attended. The item was found to be the metal roller from a lawnmower. All roads have now been opened.”

The bomb squad rushed to the scene in Dulwich, South London – where they quickly realised the ‘suspicious item’ was in fact a metal roller from a lawnmower

Hundreds of thousands of bombs were dropped on Britain during the Second World War, many of which never exploded. As a result, dozens are discovered every year across Britain and other parts of Europe where the conflict took place.

Emily Charles, a World War Two curator at the Imperial War Museum, previously told the BBC that the exact number of bombs across the country is unknown and it is “really hard to work out where unexploded bombs could be”.

The Ministry of Defence confirmed last year that it has been involved in making 450 German bombs safe since 2010. During the Blitz, the most common type of bomb weighed around 500 pounds – equivalent to around 337 kilograms.

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https://www.mylondon.news/news/south-london-news/ordinary-household-item-sparks-major-23725039

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