Second World War bomb been found in Wallsend shipping yard

Staff were evacuated from the area as a precaution while experts attempted to identify it

The suspected Second World War bomb was found in the River Tyne by dredgers who were clearing the sea bed, near the former shipyard of Swan Hunter, Wallsend (Google Street View )

A suspected unexploded Second World War bomb has been found in a shipping yard.

Police were called to the site in Wallsend, Newcastle upon Tyne at 11.30 am after reports it had been found.

The bomb was pulled from the shore and staff were evacuated from the area as a precaution while experts attempted to identify it.

It was found in the River Tyne by dredgers who were clearing the sea bed..

A Northumbria police spokesperson said: "At 11.32am this morning, Tuesday, December 1, police received a report of a possible WW2 monition found at Swan Hunter, Wallsend.

"Staff at the site have been evacuated temporarily as a matter of precaution.

Officers are currently on the scene and this is all the information we have at this time."

The Chonical Live reported that one man, who works as an HGV driver and had been transporting riverbed waste from the site, said he had been at Swan Hunter and had been told to hang fire near the site until the object had been identified.

The driver, who asked not to be named, said: “I’ve been here since 6am this morning with the lorry to take away stuff they bring up off the riverbed.

"They stopped all work immediately and pulled everyone off the river.

“We got told to wait here until they confirm whether or not it’s a World War Two bomb. Obviously, if it’s not, we carry on working and, if it is, we won’t be.

“I haven’t seen the object but one of the lads has and he said it’s about 3ft long and in the shape of a shell.

“It wouldn’t be that surprising if it was some sort of World War Two bomb as they sent all type of weapons up the River Tyne during the war.

“The police were on the scene pretty quickly and there’s a lot of people about in fluorescent jackets. We just have to wait and see what happens.”

This is the second time this year a suspected bomb has been found in the area.

The first, a 1000lb bomb, was located by fishermen in February and was detonated by the Royal Navy underwater a mile and a half off Tyneside coast.

Swan Hunter was one of the best known shipbuilding companies in the world but ceased shipbuilding operations on Tyneside in 2006.