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| Portsmouth evacuations prompted by WW2 bomb find | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Homes and a shopping centre had to be evacuated and ferry services halted from Portsmouth Harbour after a World War Two bomb was found at sea. | |
| Trains between Portsmouth and Southsea and Portsmouth Harbour were suspended, and ferry services were affected. | |
| The bomb, found by a dredger on the seabed in the harbour at about 05:00 GMT, was towed out to sea at 14:00. | |
| Cross-Channel ferries to and from Portsmouth were suspended when a 500m exclusion zone was set up. | |
| The cordon was lifted by 14:30. | |
| The harbour was shut to ferry traffic as the 500lb (227kg) German bomb passed the harbour entrance. | |
| The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said the controlled explosion on the bomb one-and-a-half miles east of the Isle of Wight would be carried out later, or on Thursday. | |
| Ahead of the operation, police evacuated both the shopping and residential areas of Gunwharf Quays. The site was reopened at 14:20. | |
| Passengers were also asked to leave the Wightlink terminal, Old Portsmouth, Portsmouth Harbour station, Gosport ferry station and the Hot Walls areas. | |
| Wightlink said its service had resumed but delays of about two hours were expected and passengers would be able to board on a first-come first-served basis. | |
| Hampshire Constabulary said those affected were earlier taken to Portsmouth Cathedral or one of two rest centres in John Pound Centre, in Queen Street. | |
| Portsmouth Historic Dockyard was also closed and will remain shut for the rest of the day. | Portsmouth Historic Dockyard was also closed and will remain shut for the rest of the day. |
| Brittany Ferries earlier had three ships waiting to come into Portsmouth - one from Spain and two from France. | Brittany Ferries earlier had three ships waiting to come into Portsmouth - one from Spain and two from France. |
| Its Normandie ferry, which had arrived from Caen, had to be held for almost five hours. | Its Normandie ferry, which had arrived from Caen, had to be held for almost five hours. |
| It said 950 passengers had been on board the three ships. | It said 950 passengers had been on board the three ships. |
| David Minton, a Normandie passenger, said at the time: "It's getting rather boring, we've had to sit here just twiddling our thumbs, but there's nothing we can do." | David Minton, a Normandie passenger, said at the time: "It's getting rather boring, we've had to sit here just twiddling our thumbs, but there's nothing we can do." |
| Nigel Wonnacott, of Brittany Ferries, said: "We'd like to apologise to all our passengers, it's an unexpected and irritating delay which is outside our control - we just have to extend our apologies and ask our passengers to remain patient." | Nigel Wonnacott, of Brittany Ferries, said: "We'd like to apologise to all our passengers, it's an unexpected and irritating delay which is outside our control - we just have to extend our apologies and ask our passengers to remain patient." |
| Third device found | Third device found |
| Condor Ferries' Commodore Clipper, which serves the Channel Islands and had 94 passengers onboard, was also held outside the harbour for several hours. | Condor Ferries' Commodore Clipper, which serves the Channel Islands and had 94 passengers onboard, was also held outside the harbour for several hours. |
| The exclusion zone around the device meant some Naval base employees have had to be moved to other buildings at the dockyard. | The exclusion zone around the device meant some Naval base employees have had to be moved to other buildings at the dockyard. |
| It is the third device to be found in the harbour during dredging works, since September. | It is the third device to be found in the harbour during dredging works, since September. |
| Dredging work is being carried out in the harbour to to deepen and widen a four-mile (7km) channel to allow the the navy's new 65,000-tonne aircraft carriers to dock. | Dredging work is being carried out in the harbour to to deepen and widen a four-mile (7km) channel to allow the the navy's new 65,000-tonne aircraft carriers to dock. |
| HMS Queen Elizabeth is due to be handed over to the MoD in 2016 ahead of being put into service in 2020. | HMS Queen Elizabeth is due to be handed over to the MoD in 2016 ahead of being put into service in 2020. |
| Are you stuck on a ferry in the area? Tell us your story by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk. | Are you stuck on a ferry in the area? Tell us your story by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk. |
| You can also contact us in the following ways: | You can also contact us in the following ways: |
| Or use the form below | Or use the form below |