THOUSANDS of people have been forced to leave their homes after a British World War 2 bomb was found in a German city.

Around 17,000 people have been evacuated from the eastern city of Dresden – with 330 cops deployed to monitor the exclusion zone.

The 550lb British-made bomb was discovered during clearance work on the Carola Bridge – and it must be defused on site.

An exclusion zone stretching half a mile was sealed off at 9.40am on Wednesday – with residents urged to immediately leave the area.

In the city centre, the state parliament and opera house have been closed.

Pictures showed queues of residents and tourists waiting for buses with packed suitcases.

Police said: “As soon as there are no more people in the area, the defusing work can begin.

“The Dresden police are asking everyone still in the evacuation zone to follow the instructions of the emergency officers.

“Approximately 17,000 people are affected by the evacuation.

“Traffic in the surrounding area is being diverted by the police.

“Motorists are asked to steer clear of the area.

“In addition to fire and rescue personnel, around 330 police officers are on duty.”

Emergency shelters opened at 6am on Wednesday, with the bomb defusal unit starting work several hours later.

Dozens of shuttle buses were deployed to help residents get out of the exclusion zone.

The bomb was found by construction workers shortly before 8am on Tuesday – with the area immediately cordoned off and a bomb disposal unit called in.

Police said: “Their assessment determined it to be a 250-kilogram British-made World War II bomb.

“It is equipped with a detonator and must be defused on site.”