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Photos: Oliver Todd
An unexploded bomb, discovered earlier this afternoon by construction workers in a residential area near the University, has been declared safe by a bomb disposal unit.
The bomb, which was found by a workman operating a mechanical digger on a construction site behind the Shell Garage, was reported to the police at around 1.00pm.
An Army bomb disposal unit, called to the scene from Catterick, declared that the bomb was not dangerous after using X-Ray scanners to assess whether the bomb was still active.
Police barriers were removed at 15.15, when the bomb disposal unit left to take the bomb to Imphal Barracks, next to the University.
The construction workers who found the explosive said that it appeared to be a relic from the second world war. In an online statement, the North Yorkshire Police said that they believe the device is a “naval shell”.
York is more than 35 miles from the coast, ruling out the possibility that the naval shell was fired from a German ship during the second world war – naval missiles at the time could be fired a distance of around 10 miles.
Police cordoned off around 150m of Hull Road from the Shell Garage towards the city centre, diverting traffic and pedestrians another route. Residents near the crossroads between Hull Road and Melrosegate were advised by police to remain indoors, and motorists to stay away from the area.
A considerable number of emergency vehicles formed part of the barricades on either side of the restricted area, but the police’s activity was largely limited to reassuring anxious residents.
The construction site, which was previously a dairy, is being transformed into student accommodation to relieve growing pressure on the University to provide more living areas for its undergraduates.
Original plans to build on the site were scrapped after local residents complained that the new flats would reduce the desirability of the location to prospective homeowners. In 2010, a new plan was given the go-ahead by York City Council.
YAY WILL!