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Building Protection and Alarms
News Release from: Planit Eod | Subject: World War Two mortars
Edited by the Buildingtalk Editorial
Team on 12 July 2004
Pit full of World War Two mortars
Planit EOD, suspects someone may have found the ordnance in a field after the war and dug a big pit on the disused land to bury it.
FLIMBY firm Thomas Armstrong is facing a bill after workers found a pit full of World War Two mortars, anti-tank missiles and hand grenades in Workington The building firm was excavating land at Derwent Howe in preparation for a new 2 million concrete panel factory when a mortar was uncovered last week
This article was originally published on Buildingtalk on 7 Apr 2006 at 8.00am (UK)
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Companies like Thomas Armstrong recently became liable for the cost of any bomb clearance and managers had to call in a private disposal firm from Yorkshire on Friday.
In one day, the ex-army team found 78 mortars, two anti-tank missiles and three hand grenades in a large pit on the land.
Although most of the shells were found to be inert, the anti-tank missiles were live.
Scott Bolton, of Planit EOD, suspects someone may have found the ordnance in a field after the war and dug a big pit on the disused land to bury it.
He added: "The majority have been fired but did not function.
I think they have been collected from one of the ranges used during the war.
"We have found most of the bombs in one area but we are going to check the rest of the site to make sure".
It will take about 10 days for the team to finish its work, which includes checking the piles of dirt already removed from the site.
The shells were uncovered by Armstrong's company ACP (Concrete) Limited on Monday last week and work had to stop immediately.
Despite the delays and the cost of clearing the site, Armstrong's managing director Keith Denham said even with hindsight, they would still have bought it.
"We were on the last 10 per cent of the excavation for our new factory when we found the shells.
This is a great site and still worthwhile," he added.
Production on concrete panels could start within months and already plans are in place for expansion into an old warehouse on the site which the company is in the process of buying.
It is the biggest development for the firm in West Cumbria in recent years and will create about 30 jobs.
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