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Royal Navy To Dispose Of Unexploded World War II Bomb Found In River Thames

The area near Westminster was evacuated until 3am.
Graeme Demianyk
By 

News Editor, HuffPost UK

Parts of central London were evacuated after an unexploded Second World War bomb was found in the River Thames on Thursday evening, with the Royal Navy called in to dispose of the explosive.

Police in Parliament Square, London, as a suspected unexploded Second World War bomb has been found in the River Thames, forcing the closure of Waterloo and Westminster bridges in London.
Police in Parliament Square, London, as a suspected unexploded Second World War bomb has been found in the River Thames, forcing the closure of Waterloo and Westminster bridges in London.
Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire

Waterloo and Westminster Bridges were closed northbound for several hours, along with restaurants and bars in the area, and Westminster tube station was also shut.

The riverfront was reopened at around 3am.

The bomb has been dredged from the River Thames after it was discovered by Victoria Embankment, and police were called to the area to carry out safety checks.

A police launch passes a barge moored on the River Thames in central London, as a suspected unexploded Second World War bomb has been found in the river, forcing the closure of Waterloo and Westminster bridges in London.
A police launch passes a barge moored on the River Thames in central London, as a suspected unexploded Second World War bomb has been found in the river, forcing the closure of Waterloo and Westminster bridges in London.
Jonathan Brady/PA Wire

MPs were caught up in the chaos ...

Police later revealed the Navy had been called in to help remove the bomb.

The bomb was spotted after coming to the surface of the water in the tidal flow of the Thames, a police spokesman told AFP. More than 12,000 metric tons of bombs were dropped on the capital during the war.

Unexploded bombs continue to be found across Europe. In February last year, an unexploded Second World War bomb was discovered in Victoria station, forcing the areas to be evacuated. In May, a device was found under a school playground in Bath.

A police cordon on Victoria Embankment, London, as a suspected unexploded Second World War bomb has been found in the River Thames, forcing the closure of Waterloo and Westminster bridges in London.
A police cordon on Victoria Embankment, London, as a suspected unexploded Second World War bomb has been found in the River Thames, forcing the closure of Waterloo and Westminster bridges in London.
Jonathan Brady/PA Wire

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