More than 160 unexploded bombs from World War II have been identified in the United Kingdom under a children’s playground.
On January 14, a single unexploded bomb was found under a play area in Wooler, England, roughly 45 miles north of Newcastle. This prompted the Wooler Parish Council to survey the area to see if any other ordinances lay buried before a planned expansion was started on the playground.
It was then that a massive trove of WWII bombs began to emerge.
The follow-up began on January 23, with plans to conduct a two-day survey. Wooler officials, however, said the scale of the issue grew much larger than initially expected, with 65 unexploded practice bombs found on the first day alone. Each bomb weighed around 10 pounds, and all were recovered in an area less than one square mile in size.
“Whilst this ordnance is described [as] practice bombs, they do still carry a charge and given the numbers involved, need to be recovered by professionals to satisfy all concerned that the playpark area is once again safe for contractors and ultimately users of the equipment,” city officials said, per ABC News.
All the bombs discovered on day one were quickly removed from the site before being safely secured in an alternative location.
By the end of the second day, the search site had expanded to two square miles, and a further 90 unexploded practice bombs were removed.
The incredible findings have slowed the park expansion, which is expected to be put on hold this spring to allow official time to ensure the site is fully cleared.
In 2022, The Dallas Express reported that a mortar shell was found in the town of Italy, Texas, located between Dallas and Waco. Federal explosive specialists were eventually called in to safely denote the munition that was discovered sitting on a dry riverbed.
More recently, a North Texas resident found a live artillery shell on his property. Last year, police responded to a man saying he found a missile-shaped object while digging in his backyard. Following an x-ray, the Dallas Police Department’s bomb squad confirmed it was an artillery shell. The homeowner later said he thinks the shell may have belonged to the previous homeowner, a military veteran.