Huge Second World War bomb blown up

My Account
Logout

Create an Evening Standard Account

Use your social network

Save time by using your existing account to sign in to Evening Standard

We'll never share your information or post anything to your account without your permission

Welcome! Sign in here

Use your social network

Save time by using your existing account to sign in to Evening Standard

We'll never share your information or post anything to your account without your permission

Forgot your password ?

Registration

* indicates fields that are mandatory

Email *

Password *

Confirm Password *

First name *

Surname *

Postcode *

Country *

Mobile phone number

Username *

Gender *

Year of birth *

When you sign up...

You will have access to all our online competitions, discounted offers and can post comments on our site.

You will also receive The Weekender newsletter sent every Thursday - it’s full of fantastic offers and ideas for the weekend. You can update your email preferences in your account page when you log in.

Other newsletters and emails

Homes & Property Newsletter - Yes I want to receive the weekly email with all the latest news on property in the capital

Occasionally we would also like to send you relevant emails detailing specific offers either from ourselves or carefully selected partners. If you would prefer not to receive these then please tick the appropriate boxes below. We will never pass on your details.

I do not want to receive additional offers and information from the Evening Standard

I do not want to receive additional offers and information sent by Evening Standard on behalf of carefully selected partners

Terms and Conditions

* I have read, understood and agree to be bound by the terms and conditions of Evening Standard

Registration

Mail Sent for Registration Confirmation.

A confirmation email has been sent. Please activate your account by clicking on the activation link sent in your mail box.

More than 1,000 people were moved from their homes in Ebberston and Allerston, near Pickering in North Yorkshire.

The 500lb bomb was then made safe by an RAF team, which detonated the device in a cloud of dust.

The device was discovered on Sunday in a field near Ebberston by enthusiasts who are excavating, under licence, a Second World War plane which crashed in the area in 1940.

The bomb disposal team spent two days preparing for the blast, surrounding the device with dozens of one tonne sandbags to minimise the impact of the explosion.

People were kept more than a kilometre away from the bomb as the 3pm detonation time approached. And the RAF team was just three minutes late pushing the button.

The bomb was found in a field away from houses but just 100m from a huge greenhouse complex. It was unearthed by a team working on the wreckage of a British Whitley bomber which crashed on October 27, 1940.

The plane had limped back over the North Sea after it was hit by flak over the German coast. All the crew parachuted to safety with one man landing close to the village.

The excavation of the wreckage is part of a nationwide project to rebuild a Whitley from salvageable parts as there are no complete examples of the plane left. People living in Ebberston said they recalled neighbours talking about children playing in the wreckage and filling their pockets with live ammunition. According to one report, the bomb was found in the bucket of a digger.

A 300m cordon was placed around the area on Sunday but this was extended an hour before the detonation and the nearby A170 Scarborough to Thirsk road was also closed.