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Over 170 bombs leftover from World War II were unearthed beneath a children’s playground in England recently, during renovation work at the park, as per authorities.
The discovery was made in mid-January at Scotts Park in Wooler, Northumberland, a spot believed to have served as a training location during the war. Following the war, the bombs were apparently buried in the area.
“It’s alarming to think that children had been playing above bombs, making it a truly concerning situation,” shared Wooler councilor Mark Mather in an interview with the BBC.
Initially, one suspicious object was found while workers were ripping up ground that turned out to be an old training bomb, according to the outlet.
Then more bombs were unearthed by the dozens with the “scale of the problem far greater than anyone has anticipated” after a specialized business was brought in to investigate, according to the town’s parish council.
Another 65 10-pound practice bombs – that carry a charge — and smoke cartridges were located one day in a pit and then 90 more practice bombs were dug up a day later in the same pit, officials said.
So far, 176 bombs have been found – and the excavation is ongoing, the BBC reported.
“We’ve only cleared about a third of all the park and we could still find another pit with more bombs in,” Mather said, according to BBC.
“I never thought as a parish councilor I’d be dealing with bomb disposal,” he added.
The park was supposed to add an all-inclusive playground to the current setup before the underground bombs threw a grenade into the plans.
“They are called practice bombs so they’re not live,” Mather said, “but they do still carry a charge and were found with the fuse and contents intact so they could be hazardous.”
More work at the site is expected to drag through the middle of February.