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Children's centre evacuated after WWII bomb discovery

A children’s centre in east London was evacuated after an unexploded bomb from the Second World War was found on a construction site in the London borough of Southwark.

The bomb was found by builders in the middle of a housing estate, leading to the surrounding streets being locked down.

After someone noticed police officers outside, the management was told the area was to be evacuated within the next hour. Traffic was closed and houses, businesses and schools were evacuated.

Rebecca Sherwood, headteacher at Kintore Way Children’s Centre centre, said, ‘The children behaved really well, they had a sense of the seriousness of the situation even though they don’t really understand the concept of an unexploded World War Two bomb.’

All other buildings available to the nursery in case of an emergency were in the same area. However, after several phone calls Ms Sherwood found the Spa Secondary School in Bermondsey, who agreed to welcome the 147 children present at the centre on that day.

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