Falmouth bomb – live: Mass evacuation and train lines close after huge explosive found

Royal Navy bomb disposal experts from HMNB Devonport have now been spotted at the scene in Falmouth.

Lt Cdr Ben Brown, commanding officer of the Royal Navy’s Bravo Squadron bomb disposal team, described the explosive device as a “general purpose bomb” that could have come “from any number of sources”.

He said: “It could have been an American bomber that’s come back from a mission, not successfully executed that, not dropped its payload and it needed to get rid of the bombs before it landed.

“It could have been an emergency and it needed to just ditch. You could put the same bomb in a slightly different location, on a different day, with different weather conditions, and have a completely different response required.”

He added: “This is on the larger side of ordnance that we would deal with, but the Plymouth team in particular have dealt with a lot of these recently, certainly this year to date, but it’s on the slightly larger side.”

A Royal Navy spokesperson said: “Royal Navy bomb disposal experts from HMNB Devonport continue to support Devon and Cornwall Police following the discovery of an unexploded World War Two American air-dropped bomb near Falmouth Docks.

“Bravo Squadron’s vital role is to keep UK waters safe and free from unexploded wartime ordnance.

“With some of the most advanced equipment available, these highly trained Royal Navy divers work in challenging conditions to protect the public and keep our waters safe.”