The risk of unexploded ordnance on construction sites in London, UK

Abstract

Greater London, among many large cities, was subject to bombing by the German military in both the World Wars and was the target of many air raids during the Second World War (WW2). This was particularly the case during the Blitz, September 1940-May 1941, when over 28,000 high explosive bombs and parachute mines were dropped on London. Post war research conducted in 1949 estimated that approximately 12,750t of bombs, including V1 and V2 rockets, were dropped on London. The night of 16 th-17 th April 1941 was one of the worst bombing raids, when 446t of bombs were dropped on London and over 58t did not detonate. Unexploded bombs remain buried underground today, as they were unidentified at the time or abandoned owing to difficulties in recovering them. Uncharted bombs continue to pose a potentially significant hazard for developments around London. This paper considers the probability of discovering unexploded ordnance (UXO), particularly WW2 ordnance, during intrusive groundworks in London. The prevalence of unexploded ordnance has been assessed using data obtained from governmental organisations to estimate the likelihood of discovery in London.

Editorial

“…In the first paper, Owen et al (2021) introduce a topic which is relevant in several countries involved in World War II (WW2) and in more recent conflicts. It concerns, in particular, the potentially significant hazard posed by uncharted bombs in Greater London (UK).…”