Projectile event in Hampshire, former Pirelli site in Eastleigh. area, United Kingdom on Sun 12th May 2002

FEAR, panic and trepidation washed over a construction worker as he unearthed an unexploded bomb in 2002. As reported in the Echo 20 years ago today, experts carried out a controlled explosion on the Second World War shell found by workmen on the former Pirelli site in Eastleigh. Near the rear of what was a Barratt Homes developm It wasn’t known whether the shell had lain undisturbed for years or recently been unwittingly brought on to the site as part of a lorry load of aggregate. Explosive ordnance disposal officers from Aldershot carried out a controlled explosion on the shell at around 2pm on December 5, 2022. ent in Leigh Road, the old four-and-a-half-inch Royal Navy shell was discovered at the bottom of a 20ft hole by a mechanical digger driver. Residents of houses backing on to the site were warned of the impending explosion by police and advised to stay clear of windows. An Army spokesman said: “It presented no danger. We blew a hole in it to confirm it was inert and the shell was recovered pretty much intact. It was a routine matter.” Sergeant Peter Jones said: “We are not evacuating the area, just advising people to stay away from their windows. It was easy to deal with because it is in a part of the site away from housing and we were alerted as soon as it was found.” The shell turned out to have been a dud.