Homes and shops have been evacuated in Rothbury after an unexploded WWII bomb was found in a river.

Police were called to the main bridge at Rothbury just before 11:00 GMT after the device was spotted in the water. As a precaution, Northumbria Police put up a 100m cordon and closed the bridge to traffic.

Police confirmed the device has now been taken away by disposal experts from Catterick. All roads have since reopened.

Stephen Bridgett, who represents Rothbury on Northumberland County Council, said: “From what I understand one of the regular checks on the bridge that are carried out by a company on behalf of the council discovered what looks like an old explosive device.

“The diver that found it is ex-forces and has seen a lot of things like this before and alerted the proper authorities.”

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