A shopping centre in Acton has been evacuated after an unexploded grenade was discovered on a construction site.

Following the closure of the High Street and adjacent shopping centre, an MOD bomb disposal team arrived and removed the weapon. Acton Park was temporarily closed while the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) engineers detonated the item in a controlled explosion.

EOD engineers will not transport live grenades where possible. Items of this small size are usually destroyed on local publicly owned land.

Acton unexploded grenade eod
Police seal off the area following the uxo find

The benefit of Detailed UXO Risk Assessment

Acton’s High Street was, like today, an urban commercial centre throughout the 20th Century. Therefore, the discovery of a buried grenade in this civilian area is an unusual incident.

Such finds highlight the difficulties faced by risk assessors when researching UK construction sites. Even locations assessed as having a low risk from explosives contamination have the potential to throw up an unexpected UXO incident.

The only way to ensure the greatest chance of identifying an unexpected historic military activity is by commissioning a Brimstone Stage 2 Detailed UXO Risk Assessment.

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