BACTEC Secures Safety For Shell Shocked Developers

Unexploded ordnance clearance specialists, BACTEC International successfully secured the safety of up to 50 households when over 30 shells were uncovered on a construction site.

Unexploded ordnance clearance specialists, BACTEC International successfully secured the safety of up to 50 households this week in a matter of hours when over 30 shells were uncovered on a construction site in Treforest, Pontypridd.

During the breaking out works of a former foundry building in the South Wales town, a foreman working for Aberdare Demolition discovered the first of the shells and alerted the police who brought in the Hereford-based army bomb disposal squad.

As a precaution residents of 40-50 neighbouring homes were evacuated and taken to a local leisure centre.

Following the controlled explosion of one device and the recovery of 33 others, it was recommended that technical experts from BACTEC be brought in to certify the site safe for further development.

With a BACTEC expert on site to monitor the demolition and respond to the discovery of any other items of ordnance, work on the demolition of the former foundry resumed.

Evacuated residents returned to their homes and within 24 hours BACTEC certified the site as safe following the recovery and removal of a further 125 pieces of ordnance which had the potential to explode on impact.

Royston Evans, owner of the Treforest site that is being redeveloped for housing commented: 'Bomb shells are something we definitely didn't expect to find on this site and the find has rather disrupted our work not to mention the lives of local residents.

However, I have been extremely impressed by the swift and efficient response in clearing the site and making it safe for us to continue working.

Within 12 hours of my initial phone call BACTEC had despatched experts who understood the problem immediately - A first class service ' The risk of unexploded ordnance is one, which is often overlooked when sites are developed.

Contaminants such as asbestos and Hexavalent Chromine are often considered to be worst-case scenario when found on site.

With approximately 10% of bombs dropped on the UK during WWll failing to function, and considering the fact that some form of ordnance is encountered every day in the UK, it is surprising that unexploded ordnance remains an often unexplored risk.

Guy Lucas, Managing Director at BACTEC commented: 'Contaminated land risk assessments may cover a plethora of substances but few take into account explosive ordnance contamination.

The possibility of encountering an item of explosive ordnance is real and the consequences of an explosion on site are almost unthinkable'.

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