WW2 bomb sparks evacuation at council office

A council office had to be evacuated earlier after a member of the public dropped off a World War Two era bomb.

Staff had to leave the Epsom and Ewell Borough Council offices after an unexploded mortar shell was brought to the front counter of the building, Surrey Police said just after 11:00 BST.

A cordon was set up in Epsom town centre, with residents of houses within the 100m cordon also evacuated.

Bomb disposal attended the scene.

Louise Footner, a nearby resident, said she was "sitting at home just working away" when a police officer knocked at the door and told her she needed to leave the house as "quickly as possible".

"It was a bit of a surprise to be honest with you," she told BBC Radio Surrey.

Footner added that a nursery school and flats for elderly people were also evacuated.

The Ministry of Defence told the BBC later on Monday that the "two-inch" bomb was "safely disposed of by demolition."

Surrey Police said the cordon had also been lifted.

"Residents are able to go back to their homes and the town centre has fully reopened," a police spokesperson said.

It had urged people to stay away from the area while the incident was dealt with.

Epsom and Ewell Borough Council said no one had been harmed.

The local authority thanked Surrey Police for bringing the situation to a "swift resolution", which kept staff and residents safe.

A spokesperson said: "We advise anyone who finds a suspected unexploded device not to touch it.

"Please move at least 100 metres away and contact the police immediately by calling 999."

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