An Explosive Ordnance Disposal team from 33 EOD Regiment, Royal Engineers, was tasked with the difficult job of safely disposing of a Second World War German bomb uncovered at a building site in Sunderland on 14 October.
The SC500 bomb, weighing 500 kgs, was discovered by workmen during excavation in Suffolk Street, Hendon, in Sunderland. An EOD team from 521 Squadron, Royal Logistic Corps, provided an initial response to the Police request for assistance, and, having identified the device, summoned a team from 33 EOD Regiment, which specialises in the disposal of military ordnance, including wartime bombs. The task has been complicated by the bomb's proximity to a gas main. Heavy lifting gear is being taken north from 33 EOD Regiment's base at Wimbish near Saffron Walden. The team is led by Captain John Foran, with Warrant Officer Andy Perks as the main Bomb Disposal Officer. Several hundred local residents have been evacuated by Police as a precautionary measure.
