Shropshire Star

Residents concerned after another bomb shell found

Bomb disposal officers were called to a building site after a war time bomb shell was found for the second time in two weeks.

Published

Police officers were again called to Artillery Road in Park Hall, Oswestry, the site of a former army training camp, after an old war time shell was discovered on the site where Chartland Homes is building a number of properties.

Nearby residents were told to stay indoors and away from windows yesterday morning, while police waited for bomb disposal officers to arrive and dispose of the item.

Nigel Sargeant, of West Mercia Police, said: "Police were informed at about 9.20am that what is believed to be an old wartime shell was found at a site in Park Hall in Oswestry.

"Explosives Ordnance Disposal were contacted and attended the site to dispose of the item safely."

It comes less than two weeks after work was halted when a shell was discovered on June 5, and taken away by bomb disposal experts to a field in Bagley, near Ellesmere, to be disposed of.

Following that incident, Chartland Homes instructed a specialist to survey the site who began his work on Monday morning when the second shell was discovered.

Project manager Andrew Jones said: "It is a similar device, and was found when a specialist began working alongside workers on Monday morning.

"They were working alongside workmen when the device was found, and officers were called to the site.

"The site was shut down for the rest of the day."

Residents have been expressing concerns since the latest discovery at the former army training camp.

They have called for the site to be shut down and said they warned in the planning stage that discarded ammunition could put residents at risk.

A resident, who wished not to be named said: "Local residents would like to see the whole site shut down until a metal detector is put over the whole area.

"Chartland Homes ignored residents warnings in correspondence at the planning stage that there was discarded ammunition on this site and they have put both residents and their own staff at risk.

"Children of a neighbour have found bullets and even a gas mask lying on the surface in the past.

"We are not called Artillery Road without good reason.

"This was a designated firing range. In the past shells were fired by artillery into the bank at the end of Artillery Road and hundreds would have landed right where Chartland are digging and this spot was also a rifle range."