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| Portsmouth evacuations prompted by WW2 bomb find | Portsmouth evacuations prompted by WW2 bomb find |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| Homes and a shopping centre were evacuated and ferry services halted from Portsmouth Harbour after a World War Two bomb was found in the water. | Homes and a shopping centre were evacuated and ferry services halted from Portsmouth Harbour after a World War Two bomb was found in the water. |
| Trains between Portsmouth and Southsea and Portsmouth Harbour were also suspended. | Trains between Portsmouth and Southsea and Portsmouth Harbour were also suspended. |
| The bomb, found by a dredger in the harbour at about 05:00 GMT, was towed out to sea and blown up at 16:00. | The bomb, found by a dredger in the harbour at about 05:00 GMT, was towed out to sea and blown up at 16:00. |
| Cross-channel ferries to and from Portsmouth were suspended when a 500m exclusion zone was set up. | Cross-channel ferries to and from Portsmouth were suspended when a 500m exclusion zone was set up. |
| The cordon was lifted by 14:30, but ferry services were disrupted into the evening. | |
| The harbour was shut to ferry traffic at 14:00 as the 500lb (227kg) German bomb was towed past the harbour entrance. | The harbour was shut to ferry traffic at 14:00 as the 500lb (227kg) German bomb was towed past the harbour entrance. |
| The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said it carried out a controlled explosion one-and-a-half miles east of the Isle of Wight. | |
| Cdr Del McKnight, who led the bomb disposal team, said: "Everything went smoothly and we were pleased to be able to get the operation completed in daylight. | |
| "Despite being old, these devices still pose a very serious threat when they are moved." | |
| Ahead of the operation, police evacuated the shopping and residential areas of Gunwharf Quays. The complex reopened at 14:20. | |
| People were also asked to leave the Wightlink terminal, Old Portsmouth, Portsmouth Harbour station, Gosport ferry station and the Hot Walls areas. | |
| Portsmouth Historic Dockyard was also closed. | Portsmouth Historic Dockyard was also closed. |
| Wightlink said, after services resumed, delays were expected with passengers boarding on a first-come first-served basis. | |
| Brittany Ferries earlier had three ships waiting to come into Portsmouth - one from Spain and two from France - carrying a total of 650 passengers. | |
| Its Normandie ferry, which had arrived from Caen, was held for almost five hours. | |
| Nigel Wonnacott of Brittany Ferries apologised for the "unexpected and irritating delay". | |
| 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 meant some Naval base employees 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 is being carried out 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 before being put into service in 2020. | |