Construction halted after 176 WWII bombs were found under a Northumberland playpark. Opening delayed until summer.
Police came because it looked like a shell. An officer knew about army engineering. He checked it before the bomb squad arrived. The bomb squad came from Catterick Barracks. They said it was a training device. They took it away to dispose of it.
The council hired a bomb survey company called Brimstone. They found many more bombs than expected. This stopped the park’s construction work, and the new playpark’s opening got delayed.
The council wanted it open for Easter holidays. Now, it might be ready for summer holidays, which start in July. Besides bombs, they found other old things, including grenades and bullets, or parts of them.
The first day they found sixty-five practice bombs, each ten pounds. All were in a small, one-meter area. The next day, they found ninety more bombs, making 157 bombs total. The area was for Home Guard training.
The council thanked Northumberland County Council, who helped cover the cost of the work. The Ministry of Defence did not help, as they do not remove bombs or pay for surveys. The council could have paid a lot and, without help, could have been bankrupt.