Shrewsbury homes evacuated after suspected WW2 munitions found in Pontesbury

Police, firefighters and members of the armed forces could be seen at the site in Pontesbury on Thursday evening.

A number of homes were evacuated near Shrewsbury on Thursday evening after World War 2 era munitions were found at a building site.

People are being asked to avoid Minsterley Road in Pontesbury and nearby areas while emergency services investigate.

A 100m cordon was established by West Mercia Police, and properties were evacuated.

In a tweet, the force added: "People are asked to avoid the area and to seek alternative routes whilst emergency services are at the scene."

Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service later confirmed they were dealing with a suspected hazardous material.

A spokesperson said: "At 16:03 on Thursday, 25 August, 2022, SFRS Fire Control received a call reporting an incident classified as Hazardous Substances in Pontesbury.

"Two fire appliances were mobilised from Minsterley and Shrewsbury. Operations and Hazmat officers were in attendance. Attending crews used the following equipment; breathing apparatus, hosereel jet.

Inspector Nick Horton of West Mercia Police told ITV News Central that people working on the site had "uncovered what appear to be munitions from probably World War 2."

"As a result safety cordons have been put in place, we've contacted fire and rescue service, who are here in case of, not because of, and we've also got the EOD (explosive ordnance disposal) teams from the MOD to come, because this is their area of expertise."

Disposal experts from the Ministry of Defence were later called to deal with the situation. They disposed of the munitions with a controlled explosion, and a security cordon was later lifted.