More than 170 World War II bombs were found under children's playground in England

More than 170 World War II bombs were found under children's playgrounds in northern England and are believed to be unearthed, officials said.

CBS News Partner BBC reported that the first bomb was found in January at the playground in Wooler, Northumberland County – still charged. The BBC said that so far, a total of 176 bombs have been found, and experts are worried that they will be unearthed.

The playground is being updated when the crew finds a suspicious object while digging the foundation.

“It's a very challenging situation to think that kids have been playing on bombs,” local MP Mark Mather told the BBC.

Wooler Parish Council said in a statement that hiring a sulfur site survey to investigate the playground was soon apparently “the scale of the problem is much larger than anyone expected.”

Officials say 65 Practice bomb In areas less than 10 square meters, each weighs about 10 pounds. Smoke was recovered from the same pit.

Another 90 practice bombs were found in an area of ​​about 20 square feet.

“Due to the large amount of ordnance buried, the on-site investigation could not be completed within the expected 2 days and further deployment is necessary,” the official said in a statement.

According to the BBC, it is believed that the area of ​​the playground originally built was used as a home escort training ground, and the bomb was buried at the end of the war.

“I never thought I was a parish councillor and I would deal with bomb disposal,” Mather told the news media.

According to Mather, the bomb disposal is expected to continue in at least mid-February.

He said it was unclear who would pay for all the work, but Northumberland County Council agreed to cover the costs.

“The Army won't support us in any way, whether it's looking for ordnance or removing it, which is very disappointing,” Mather told the BBC.

The Ministry of Defense confirmed to the BBC that a team attended the location twice in January but did not speak to the claims of the local council.

“Obviously, this discovery was unexpected, but we are pleased to find additional funds to complete this critical work safely,” a county council spokesman said in a statement.

The unexploded bombs of World War II have been detonated, without warning. Last October, American bombs during the war Explosion at the airport in Japancausing a large crater on the runway. 2023, World War II bombs explode In Great Yarmouth, England, authorities called it an “unplanned” explosion.