Plymouth residents on the 'chaos' of leaving homes after suspected WW2 bomb found
Residents living in Plymouth have spoken of the "chaos" of being forced to leave their homes after a suspected World War Two bomb was discovered.
A major incident was declared by police on 20 February after the device was found in a garden on St Michael Avenue in the Keyham area.
More than 3,000 people living in the area have since been asked to leave their homes as a result.
More people are expected to be affected after the cordon area was extended from 200m to 300m at 9am on Thursday 22 February.
Plymouth City Council says the cordon is expected to be in place for at least 36 hours.
Residents were offered shelter at the nearby North Prospect Library and in local community centres, and have been advised to stay with friends or family nearby until further notice.
Denis White, from Beatrice Avenue, arrived at the Life Centre this morning with his wife, Pauline.
They have lived in their house for 53 years and this is the first time they have had to leave it.
He said: “They are trying to find us a hotel for tonight but we have no transport.
"My son picked us up this morning but we had to wait 45 minutes because he had to have a police escort to our house.”
Ruth Enoch lives on Station Road and had to move out on Tuesday, with her two children, aged nine and six.
They were taken in by a friend on Station Road but it was outside the cordon.
Now that house is inside the new exclusion zone, she and her friend have had to leave and Ruth had no idea where she will stay.
She said: "I did not leave with anything on Tuesday. We had five minutes to evacuate, I couldn’t pick anything up.
"The children are still in their school uniforms, they have been wearing them for two days now.
"I went back home last night to see if I could pick anything up but they only let me get medication, I was only in for a few seconds.”
Residents Jordan Brett and Kayja Cullen stayed in a hotel last night after being advised to leave their house.
Kayja works with children with complex needs and Jordan is a delivery driver. Both of them had to take the day off today.
"We stayed in a Travelodge. We had nowhere else to stay", Jordan told ITV News West Country.
"There was lots of tossing and turning and worrying about what's going to happen today", Kayja added.
The pair have two rabbits at their home, which they say they're worried about if there are plans for a controlled explosion.
"If [the controlled explosion] is here we'll definitely have to get our rabbits before that happens. That's a major worry right now", Jordan said.
Jordan described the current situation as "chaotic" and added: " It's nobody's fault but it's a huge disruption."
Trevor Batten also lives in the area and returned today after staying in a Travelodge in Saltash last night.
He said: "I've had to come back and get some medication for my partner and stuff for the dog and some overnight clothes because we're going to have to stay somewhere overnight by the sounds of it.
"My dog is at my mum's down the road and we're hoping if they do increase the cordon area that she'll be just outside it.
"It's not ideal, it's inconvenient but it's nobody's fault and all the emergency services are in my opinion doing a great job", he added.
Police say the major incident is still in place and it's likely the cordon will be extended over the next few days.
A spokesperson for Plymouth Life Centre said: "If you are leaving home today due to the evacuation and require any help or support – please go to there and staff will be able to help.
"Please remember - if you need help or support evacuating - please call: 01752 668000."