After a notice from the civils, shops, homes and a primary school have been evacuated near a Lewisham building site today after a suspected Second World War bomb was found.
Police were called to the site on Boone Street at 9.14am after workers made the find.
Afterwards, a string of shops along the normally busy Lee High Road were evacuated and a 200-metre restriction zone was set up around the affected area.
Police have warned the cordon could be in place for some time while specialist officers deal with the discovery.
Martin Turner, from local business Lewisham Card, said the device had been found by builders on their site behind a petrol station.
He said: “The whole stretch about 200m around where it’s happening has just been completely cut off.
“They’ve just taped the whole place off, the side streets as well.”
He added: “The local businesses have had to close their shops and just go.
“The police said the situation was entirely safe and they were just waiting for the disposal experts to come down and do their thing.
“After that they’ll be able to slowly get back to normal.”
Chief Superintendent Kate Haplin, Lewisham’s borough commander, announced at 3.30pm that the army had also been called in to deal with the incident.
She said: “The bomb has been undisturbed for many years, so having been disturbed by building works today, we were concerned of the potential risk this could cause.
“For the safety of the public a large cordon was put in place and some homes, schools and businesses evacuated. That cordon remains in place, and at this stage I am unable to say when it is likely to be lifted.
“I recognised the impact and disruption this has caused the community and I am very grateful for the cooperation we have received so far.
“The safety of the of the public is paramount and we are now working with the army, who are using their skill and experience to safely bring this incident to its conclusion.”
