A controlled explosion had to be carried out following the shock discovery of a Second World War artillery shell on a Moray farm. The Royal Navy bomb disposal team were called out to Wester Coltfield farm near Forres, where a farmer had discovered the piece of war ordnance in one of his fields. Police first […]
Parts of a Devon seaside town were evacuated after a WWII bomb was found in the sea near the pier. The explosive was discovered by a man and his nephew who were scuba diving in Teignmouth earlier. Police evacuated seafront properties to allow a bomb disposal team to tow it out to sea and destroy […]
United Nations Global Compact In June 2018, 1st Line Defence signed up to the UN Global Compact, a voluntary initiative based on company commitments to implement ten universally accepted principles in the areas of human rights, labour, the environment and anti-corruption. By incorporating these ten principles into strategies, policies and procedures, and establishing a culture of integrity, […]
It was a great night for 1st Line Defence at the Inspiring Hertfordshire Awards 2018 in St Albans last night. Hosted by the Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce at St Albans Cathedral, this prestigious event focuses on and celebrates the expertise, achievements and outstanding contribution that businesses and individuals continually make to the growth of the […]
A member of the public has fished up a WWII-era artillery projectile from the Grand Union Canal at the weekend. The find resulted in the closure of the Braunston Tunnel while the police and Army investigated the find. Reportedly, Northamptonshire Police were told by the Army’s explosive ordnance disposal that the 16 inch long shell originated […]
A suspected unexploded device, which is believed to date back to WWII, was found in Birmingham last week. Islington Row Middleway up to Bath Row was evacuated and West Midlands Police has evacuated a construction site. An explosive ordnance disposal team was called to the scene and closed Islington Row Middleway up to Bath Row […]
A live German sea mine from WWII washed up on the Sussex coast has been towed out to sea and blown up. The large metal device measuring about 6ft (1.8m) and thought to weigh about 1,000kg was found on Saturday. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) said the mine was “safely detonated” at about 17:10 […]
Due to the ever increasing demand for UXO survey prior to piling works, we have introduced a new 20 tonne survey rig to our fleet. This 6×6 all wheel drive rig increases our capacity to undertake intrusive UXO magnetometer surveys across the UK. If you would like more information about intrusive UXO surveys, click here […]
Construction workers at a building site north of Berlin Hauptbahnhof have discovered a bomb from the Second World War. As the explosive is set to be defused on Friday, services at the central station will be temporarily suspended. An 800-metre area around the bomb find will need to be evacuated by 9am on Friday morning, […]
A 1st Line Defence UXO Specialist investigated a suspect item found during ground works on a construction site in Gloucestershire this week. The item was confirmed as a WWII-era anti-aircraft projectile, a cordon was imposed, and the device was appropriately and safely disposed of by a military EOD unit with minimal disruption to site works. […]
Bomb disposal experts were called in to deal with a device discovered near a farm park in Ayrshire. A member of the public found what appeared to be an old mortar bomb near Dunure Road, just behind the Heads of Ayr Farm Park at 21:30 on Saturday. Police put a cordon around the area and […]
An unexploded World War Two bomb found near London City Airport has been detonated. The 500kg device was discovered at the King George V Dock on Sunday during planned work at the airport. It was closed and all flights were cancelled on Monday after an exclusion zone was put in place. The detonation, which took […]
London City Airport has been closed after a WWII bomb was reportedly found in the adjacent dock waters. The airport will be shut all day and all flights cancelled, affecting up to 16,000 passengers, a spokeswoman said. The bomb was discovered at about 05:00 GMT on Sunday at George V Dock during pre-planned work at […]
The UK is far from alone in considering the legacy of WWII ordnance on construction projects. In Hong Kong yesterday, police carried out a major bomb disposal operation after a WWII bomb was unearthed at a construction site. The 1,000-pound wartime bomb was discovered at Convention Avenue, Wan Chai, on Saturday. The operation also involved […]
ROAD closures have been lifted after an ‘unexploded artillery shell’ was discovered by builders. Police blocked off roads around Edgewater Place in Latchford on Tuesday after officers were called at 3.40pm. A bomb disposal team were called this morning, Wednesday, but the controlled explosion has been delayed and entry to Thelwall Lane remains restricted. It is understood the […]
Introducing the new 1st Line Defence website. Find out about the history of our company, meet our staff, view our services, browse case-studies, FAQs, careers and more. Chat directly to one of our consultants via the online chat function. We are hoping the new site will allow our clients to get to know us better, […]
1st Line Defence ended the 2017 exhibition season at London Build, Olympia following a successful presence at the Contamination Expo at ExCel and the Kent Construction Expo, Maidstone. We are always very passionate about getting out and meeting new people and reacquainting with old friends – talking face to face cannot be bettered. Watch this […]
Introducing the latest member of the 1st Line Defence fleet. Our brand-new UXO survey midi-rig has arrived. The small size of the rig means it can be used in numerous different situations and sizes of site, and allows us the flexibility to increase the number of options/solutions that we can provide our clients. Contact us to […]
A large unexploded World War Two bomb shut one of Birmingham’s major roads and forced the evacuation of “hundreds of homes” and businesses. The closure of the A38 (M) Aston Expressway caused long delays for drivers, remaining closed for several days, police said. Rail services on the Cross City Line between Lichfield and Birmingham were […]
Two unexploded World War Two bombs have been discovered in the west of the Isle of Man, according to police. A spokesman said two mortars were discovered on a green lane track in the Sartfell area, near Kirk Michael. Military bomb disposal specialists are travelling to the island to help local emergency services detonate them. […]
Up to 50,000 people could be evacuated from Hanover after several unexploded World War II bombs were found in the German city. Explosives experts are investigating the area around the Vahrenwald in the north of the city to assess how many bombs could be buried there, Thomas Bleicher from the unexploded ordnance authority told The Local. It could result […]
Army bomb disposal teams worked through the night to prepare for the removal of a Second World War device discovered on a building site. Schools and properties were evacuated on Thursday after the unexploded bomb was found in north-west London, forcing local residents to take shelter in a church overnight. However, the evacuation area was increased […]
A World War Two bomb containing 290lb (131kg) of “high explosives” has been found in Portsmouth harbour. The ordnance was discovered by a dredger in the water at about 03:00 GMT, the Royal Navy said. Specialist divers at the scene said the bomb posed a “very serious threat”. It was towed out to sea and […]
During the Target Investigation phase of a project near Thetford Forest, Norfolk, 1st Line Defence UXO Specialists found a live British 500lb high explosive bomb in an area where future intrusive works were planned. The bomb was identified and excavated by one of our experts, who put into place emergency procedures, evacuating the area, advising […]
An unexploded 50kg World War Two bomb found in the River Thames has been removed and exploded. The operation by the Royal Navy and Metropolitan Police forced Waterloo Bridge, Westminster Bridge and Victoria Embankment in central London to shut. A Ministry of Defence spokesman said the WW2 device had been towed along the river to […]
54,000 people were evacuated from the city of Augsburg, southern Germany, after construction workers discovered an unexploded World War Two bomb on Christmas morning. Because of the size of the 1.8 tonne bomb, the evacuation zone was 1.5km. Although evacuations of this sort are common, this is the biggest single evacuation for an unexploded Allied […]