500kg bomb found in Plymouth detonated at sea, Ministry of Defence confirms

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has confirmed a Second World War bomb that forced thousands to evacuate in Plymouth has been detonated at sea.

An MoD spokeswoman said the bomb had been “detonated successfully at 9.51pm” on Friday 23 February.

The 500kg explosive was discovered in a back garden on Tuesday, which prompted “one of the largest UK peacetime evacuation operations”.

Around 30 of the armed forces’ most experienced bomb disposal specialists had worked around the clock to assess the condition of the device since it was discovered in St Michael Avenue in the Keyham area of Plymouth.