Homes evacuated after wartime bomb found in garden

By Joe Crossley

Homes were evacuated Thursday after a landscaper found a three-foot wartime bomb - in a garden.

Bobby Moulson, 37, was installing a new fence at a client's home in Dartford, Kent when he noticed a bit of metal poking out of the ground.

The business owner, who runs Abfab Landscapes, dug around the object to get a better look - and, alongside his three colleagues, started comparing it to online pictures of WW2 bombs.

That was when they realized they had a problem - and their excitement turned to fear.

Moulson said: "We told the customer what we had found, she called the police, and we all left the house straight away.

"It was exciting to discover something like that as I have never seen anything like it. But it was scary to think about what might have happened if we had hit it with one of our shovels.

"We heard the police sirens and saw them set up the cordon, which was a minimum of 100 meters from the property.

"The army also showed up shortly after.

"We hung around for about an hour to see if it would be over quickly so we could get back on with the job, but that didn’t happen so we went off to a café for breakfast."

Homes were evacuated and the road was cordoned off by 9:20 a.m.

Dartford Council said on social media it was aware of the "unexploded wartime ordnance".

A spokesperson added: "We are assisting emergency services at the scene and we are supporting affected residents."

Meanwhile, Stone Parish Council said that Stone Pavilion is the designated evacuation center for the people who were told to leave their homes.

Local resident Jason Pettit, who watched the scene unfold, said: "Bomb disposal is in and out of the property.

“Police appear to have evacuated all the residents from Hillhouse Road junction to 143 Kirby Road.

"Police vehicles are coming and going.”

And Dartford MP Jim Dickson urged residents to avoid the area while the incident is dealt with.

Posting on social media, he said: "Police and local emergency services are on site working quickly to evacuate residents in the immediate area and remove the device safely.

"I am in ongoing communication with emergency services and will update residents on any changes.

"Please avoid the area until further notice."

The Ministry of Defense was approached for further information.