leemond2008 Posted May 16, 2017 Share Posted May 16, 2017 I thought it would have had its own thread seeings as it has thrown the whole of Birmingham into chaos. took me 1hr 20 minutes to get into work today, it only normally takes 15/20 http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/aston-bomb-alert-cross-city-13040175 500lbs it weighs, I'm guessing that would leave a little dent if it was to go off Quote Rail passengers have been warned to expect more disruption tomorrow after the discovery of an unexploded World War Two bomb caused travel chaos. Cross City North services between Birmingham New Street and Lichfield Trent Valley were suspended after the 500lb German shell was made at a building site near to the railway line in Aston. And London Midland has now warned passengers that the problems are set to continue on Tuesday morning. A spokesperson for the operator said: "Sorry, but we are not expecting any service on the Cross City North tomorrow. South will run as normal. "We will have coaches running between Sutton Coldfield and Lichfield City and minibuses between Lichfield City and Lichfield Trent Valley. "Our tickets will continue to be accepted on National Express West Midlands and on CrossCountry between New Street, Tamworth and Nuneaton." "Please bear in mind that the local buses will be busy and are also affected by the road closures." Cross City South services running towards Longbridge and Redditch have not been affected by the incident, which began at around 9.45am on Monday. Drivers were also hit by chaos due to the closure of the Aston Expressway and a string of routes around the scene where a 500m cordon was put in place. Some drivers were forced to abandon their vehicles and many people chose to walk their route home after the area was completely shut down, with widespread traffic delays across the city. West Midlands Police said the Aston Expressway is expected to remain closed until Tuesday morning . Homes and business in the cordon were also evacuated, with dozens of residents having to spend the night at the Alexander Stadium . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lapal_fan Posted May 16, 2017 Share Posted May 16, 2017 I think it's great.. in a weird way. I love stories like this. Obviously I hope nobody or anything is hurt/damaged. But I do love an odd story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paddywhack Posted May 16, 2017 Share Posted May 16, 2017 I've got to be honest, I didn't even realise we were still at war. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevo985 Posted May 16, 2017 VT Supporter Share Posted May 16, 2017 Some genuine questions, if something has been unexploded and buried for that long, how big are the chances that it would actually go off unexpectedly? Secondly, just how much damage would a 500lb bomb do if it did go off? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leemond2008 Posted May 16, 2017 Author Share Posted May 16, 2017 9 minutes ago, Stevo985 said: Secondly, just how much damage would a 500lb bomb do if it did go off? That is the question I have been thinking about, I'll bet it'd go off like a soggy fart 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chindie Posted May 16, 2017 VT Supporter Share Posted May 16, 2017 I left work very early yesterday, because the moment I heard the Expressway was shut I knew my route home was going to be a nightmare. Took nearly 2 hours. This morning the entire area is at a standstill, and bringing out the best in the commuters. Already seen someone drive down the pavement. Yet another example of how heavily reliant the city is on the roads, and another example of how North Birmingham grinds to halt if anything happens on the only major route into the city. It seems like the bomb squad has decided to bury it in sand, since they've shipped in 250 tonnes of the stuff this morning - wonder if they're planning to blow it apart? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MakemineVanilla Posted May 16, 2017 Share Posted May 16, 2017 32 minutes ago, leemond2008 said: I thought it would have had its own thread seeings as it has thrown the whole of Birmingham into chaos. Not really surprising. It's not the first thing in Aston to cost a bomb and turn out to be a dud! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leemond2008 Posted May 16, 2017 Author Share Posted May 16, 2017 well if it ain't sorted by 4pm today I dunno what I'm going to do, it's 2 days before payday and I can't afford another gut load of beer after work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ponky Posted May 16, 2017 Share Posted May 16, 2017 I think it's actually the remnants of one of Aleksandr Tonev's atomic strikes at VP. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raver50032 Posted May 16, 2017 Share Posted May 16, 2017 1 hour ago, Stevo985 said: Some genuine questions, if something has been unexploded and buried for that long, how big are the chances that it would actually go off unexpectedly? Secondly, just how much damage would a 500lb bomb do if it did go off? It's a very good question Stevo. I work on the railway and my office is right next to our Control in Rugby. The reason that this is taking longer than one would normally expect is that the team that made the initial discovery had a bit of a 'moment' when it was found. The excavator had lifted the bomb into the air and the bomb fell off the excavator. The concern is, that like shaking a bottle of Orangina 'wakes the drink,' that dropping the unexploded bomb might have 'woken the fuse.' They are being extra cautious, just in case. 50t of sand being deployed to cushion any blow if it goes up. I'm watching this one with morbid interest. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjw63 Posted May 16, 2017 Share Posted May 16, 2017 Totally bored of the "detonate it at Vile Park" comments from social media cabbages. Zzzzzzzzzzz. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevo985 Posted May 16, 2017 VT Supporter Share Posted May 16, 2017 45 minutes ago, Raver50032 said: It's a very good question Stevo. I work on the railway and my office is right next to our Control in Rugby. The reason that this is taking longer than one would normally expect is that the team that made the initial discovery had a bit of a 'moment' when it was found. The excavator had lifted the bomb into the air and the bomb fell off the excavator. The concern is, that like shaking a bottle of Orangina 'wakes the drink,' that dropping the unexploded bomb might have 'woken the fuse.' They are being extra cautious, just in case. 50t of sand being deployed to cushion any blow if it goes up. I'm watching this one with morbid interest. I assumed the sand was being brought in specifically TO blow it up. Isn't that how these things are usually "diffused"? With a controlled explosion? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raver50032 Posted May 16, 2017 Share Posted May 16, 2017 (edited) Yep, the sand is being used to build a blast wall - they are half way through building it up. Controlled explosion should be later this afternoon. Initial plan was to take the offending item out by road... but that now deemed not possible given the condition of the device, and the 'shake the bottle, wake the drink' paranoia. Listen out for it then... Edited May 16, 2017 by Raver50032 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Mandy Lifeboats Posted May 16, 2017 Popular Post Share Posted May 16, 2017 My grandfather was very proud that he shot down a German plane with just his service revolver. 1976- Birmingham Airport. LUFTHANSA. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrentVilla Posted May 16, 2017 Moderator Share Posted May 16, 2017 3 hours ago, Stevo985 said: Some genuine questions, if something has been unexploded and buried for that long, how big are the chances that it would actually go off unexpectedly? Secondly, just how much damage would a 500lb bomb do if it did go off? The chances of an explosion are extremely low given themat they will have degraded in the decades in the ground and given they were likely defective in the first place. They obviously though still pose a risk especially when moved/disturbed. How much damage, a lot. That bomb is a little under a 6th of the size of the one that ripped Manchester apart in 1996. That one caused about £1.2b worth of damage, so this one in Aston could have caused at least £6.50 worth. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevo985 Posted May 16, 2017 VT Supporter Share Posted May 16, 2017 Would it have made a dent in VP? And if the answer is "yes, but only the North Stand would have been affected and everywhere else would be fine" then can we go and shake the bottle a bit more please? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swerbs Posted May 16, 2017 Share Posted May 16, 2017 Because of the Third Reich it took me 2 hours to get from town to Castle Brom yesterday Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrentVilla Posted May 16, 2017 Moderator Share Posted May 16, 2017 10 minutes ago, Stevo985 said: Would it have made a dent in VP? And if the answer is "yes, but only the North Stand would have been affected and everywhere else would be fine" then can we go and shake the bottle a bit more please? Had Doug still owned the club he would have had it moved so he could claim on the insurance. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrentVilla Posted May 16, 2017 Moderator Share Posted May 16, 2017 6 minutes ago, Swerbs said: Because of the Third Reich it took me 2 hours to get from town to Castle Brom yesterday Bloody Theresa May, what did she do now? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chindie Posted May 16, 2017 VT Supporter Share Posted May 16, 2017 Controlled explosion due shortly. They've now closed a massive section of the M6 whilst it's carried out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts