MP call for help for residents following unexploded bomb

A  Plymouth MP has called for the Ministry of Defence  to pay for damage to properties following the removal of World War Two bomb.

More than 10,000 people were evacuated from Keyham when a 1,102lb bomb was moved and detonated at sea.

Luke Pollard, MP for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport, said some people would need long-term support after the incident which caused major disruption.

He said people in Plymouth were “deeply grateful for the military” but said he thought those whose properties had been damaged during the removal of the unexploded bomb should get the support they needed “to get their lives back on track”.

Mr Pollard said: “The Ministry of Defence should be the people that are able to pay for this.

“That is the case that I made yesterday to the minister and that would be the normal practice in these situations.”

A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said: “More than 100 personnel from the British Army and Royal Navy were involved in the successful disposal of an unexploded bomb discovered at a residential property in Plymouth which included one of the largest evacuation operations since the end of the Second World War.

“We are aware of a small number of issues raised by residents following completion of the operation and are looking into these as a priority.”