London City airport will reopen on Tuesday after an unexploded second world war bomb that was found in the river Thames near the runway was safely removed.
An exclusion zone around George V dock in east London near the airport has been lifted after Royal Navy technicians and the Metropolitan police safely removed a 500kg tapered end shell measuring about 1.5 metres that was discovered on Sunday morning during pre-planned building work.
The airport was closed all day yesterday as authorities worked to remove the device. Police and navy divers had to wait for the tide to change on Monday evening before the bomb could be brought to the surface and moved out of the dock.
Evacuated residents have been told they can return to their homes, and normal services at London City airport will resume on Tuesday .
Specialist Met police officers and Royal Navy technicians confirmed the nature of the device after it was discovered just after 5am on Sunday. The exclusion zone was implemented at 10pm the same day to ensure public safety, police said.
“Following the discovery of a world war two ordnance in King George V dock as part of planned development works, a 214-metre exclusion zone has been implemented as a precaution by the Met police. As a result, London City airport is currently closed,” a spokesperson for the airport said on Sunday..
In an updated statement on Monday, a spokesperson for the airport said: “The World War Two ordnance discovered in King George V Dock has been safely removed by the Royal Navy and Met Police. As a result, the exclusion zone has now been lifted and the airport will be open as normal on Tuesday.”
