Unexploded bombs suspected to be from a WWII Home Guard centre have been discovered under a driveway in Malton.

Bomb disposal experts have been called to the Ryedale town after workmen found the two unexploded munitions under a veterinary practice driveway. They had been digging up the old road surface.

Brian Abbott, who runs the veterinary practise, said: “We’re doing some digging in the garden, and just excavated a bit of driveway and we found what looked like two mortar bombs.”

“About the size of a wine bottle, with a narrow end.”

2 inch mortar

“One was obviously empty, just a casing. The other it was difficult to tell. We didn’t want to get too close.”

Police are at the scene and Mr Abbott says that a bomb disposal team is on the way.

He added that there is “an extremely low risk” of anything happening but staff have been sent home and workmen in an adjacent property have also been evacuated. He himself has been advised to stay indoors.

One worker at the practice said she had been told not to come in to work by the site owner, and the workers had also found what appeared to be a number of rifle cartridges.

She said: “Apparently there used to be a Dad’s Army, Home Guard kind of thing down the road, so obviously they were pretty active.”

It is believed Army bomb disposal teams are on their way to assist with the removal.

Brimstone UXO

Unexploded ordnance continues to pose a significant challenge to construction and development projects across the UK and overseas.

If you have an upcoming construction project that requires UXO support, please contact our commercial team on enquire@brimstoneuxo.com or 020 7117 2492.

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