Detonation of bomb at Lihou does not stop work on house
LIHOU ISLAND was closed to the public yesterday after a number of Second World War explosives were discovered in the rocks near the causeway over the weekend.
Police Bomb disposal experts carried out a controlled explosion just after 1pm.
Other smaller items found were blown up later in the day.
It is believed the item found in the rockpools near the house was a 10kg artillery shell that had gone unnoticed for over 70 years.
‘I can confirm however that it wasn’t a limpet mine,’ said Lihou House warden Steve Sarre
Mr Steve Sarre was concerned that the discovery of an old bomb from the Occupation era would cause him to lose a day of work on the house, which is still being repaired after being damaged by Storm Ciaran, yesterday.
Mr Sarre and a team of tradesmen are currently racing to get the house ready by 1 June for its first bookings.
‘Luckily the bomb disposal team were happy for us to come across and carry on work, although I’m not sure that sort of thing is covered by the builders’ liability insurance,’ he said.
‘It was a really loud bang, although we were downwind.
‘The police have done a really good job here today, they even let off some bangers first to make sure any of the birds feeding had been scared away before the big detonation.’
The unexploded ordinance had been spotted in a channel in the rocks by an islander who had been fishing near the causeway.
‘It’s not the first time something has been found here, they are brown and often covered in weed and just look like another rock,’ said Mr Sarre.
‘The police had to search with metal detectors and turned up a few smaller items. I would suggest if anyone ever spots something like this to take really careful note of exactly where it is.’
He said the What Three Words app was a really useful tool for fixing a location.
