The unexploded 250 kg WW2 bomb was discovered during construction works near the old harbour of Lingen, Lower Saxony. Part of the city was then evacuated, affecting some 8,800 residents.

German bomb disposal specialists had decided that a controlled explosion was necessary because it had “not been possible to disarm the bomb without great risk”. The removal of the bomb to a safer location was also ruled out.

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Controlled explosion
The emergency services clearing debris following the controlled explosion

In 2017, bomb disposal specialists were alerted 725 times in the state of Lower Saxony. They exploded 271 bombs weighing 50 kg or more that were too dangerous to move or disarm.

The post-war evacuation of tens of thousands of Germany’s citizens is not an uncommon event. Germany’s largest ever evacuation occurred in September 2017 when 65,000 Frankfurt residents were removed from their homes and businesses; the result of an RAF bomb.

The U.K faces a similar threat, with an average of 10 unexploded German bombs encountered in London every year.

How can this specific threat be mitigated?

Brimstone provides Intrusive Magnetometer Survey services to the U.K construction industry. These surveys allow our customers to carry out piling works safe in the knowledge that their pile drivers will not strike any large German bombs. To find out more about this service, click here.