Homes evacuated as 50kg wartime bomb is found

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The 50kg device was found by workmen on a building site off Palmers Road in Bethnal Green yesterday afternoon.

Police urged people to avoid the Bethnal Green, Haggerston and Shoreditch areas of east London after roads were blocked off.

A 200-metre cordon was set up in Roman Road and a rest centre for evacuees established at Bethnal Green Technology College in Gosset Street.

A specialist Army unit, Metropolitan Police officers and council staff were at the site of the bomb discovery.

Local resident Anthony Marsh, 26, of Palmers Road, said: "I came back home from work to find the area had been cordoned off.

"There were people out on the streets and the traffic was chaos," he said.

"Everyone is frustrated but what can you do when they find a 60-year-old huge bomb just yards from where we're sleeping for the night?"

He said the bomb had been uncovered by builders working on a new block of apartments.

"They must have been shocked to say the least," he added.

Another Palmers Road resident, who would only give her name as Florence, 35, had to spend the night at a friend's home.

"It's a scary thought to be sleeping so close to such a big bomb," she said.

"I'm just amazed that it's been there for so long without anyone knowing. It's not the sort of thing you expect to come home to."

A Tower Hamlets council spokeswoman confirmed that around 100 people had been evacuated and nearby roads closed. The cordon was expected to be lifted at about midmorning today.

A Scotland Yard spokesman said: "We have been liaising with the local authority and the Army.

"Anyone affected by the incident is advised to contact Tower Hamlets council on the emergency number 020 7364 7000."