This was the moment when a ‘boom’ sound rang around Coventry when a live World War II bomb was detonated.
More than 24 hours of painstaking work led up to the detonation of the live device on Sandy Lane Business Park at 9pm last night (June 3).
West Midlands Fire Service footage shows a plume of smoke coming from the area that had been expertly created by soldiers from 8 Engineer Brigade’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team.
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Using a whopping 340 tonnes of sand, the soldiers created an area safe enough to carry out the controlled detonation of the fuze and the subsequent safe removal of the bomb.
In a statement Col Nick Handy commended all his soldiers for their efforts, saying: “I would like to thank everyone for their co-operation and support over the last day to bring this to a safe conclusion.”
Coventry Ch Supt Paul Joyce said: “I just want to give my thanks to everybody that was involved, including the local authority, fire and rescue, our military colleagues, and all of my own officers that were present making the environment safe for everybody to come and go.”
Bomb find as it happened
At 2.55pm on Tuesday afternoon (June 2), 999 calls were made to report the discovery of the device during construction work at the park.
It led to a 100m cordon being thrown around the area, including the canal footbridge and paths.
A total of 96 homes were evacuated and Coventry City Council set up a rest centre at the Central Library and this remained open until after midnight supporting almost 30 people.
Overnight accommodation was given for 15 households – 37 people and a dog while EOD experts continued their work at the site as the huge amount of sand was brought in to help bury the bomb as part of the delicate pre-operation ahead of the detonation.
Smoke plumes from the covered WWII bomb after it was safely detonated at the Sandy Lane Business Park(Image: West Midlands Fire Service)
Coventry Fire Station was designated as the official rendezvous point for the operation.
West Midlands Fire Service assistant chief fire officer Richard Stanton said: “Its close proximity to the detonation site proved invaluable. The station offered a safe and accessible base for operational briefings, welfare support, and rest and recovery, enabling personnel from multiple agencies to work together effectively throughout the incident.
“We would like to thank everyone involved in making these arrangements possible. The successful outcome reflects the professionalism, cooperation and shared commitment of all those who worked to protect and support the local community.”
The moment the Coventry WW2 bomb is made safe
Coventry Chief Superintendent Paul Joyce added: “I just want to give my thanks to everybody that was involved, including the local authority, fire and rescue, our military colleagues, and all of my own officers that were present making the environment safe for everybody to come and go.”
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