Pictured: unexploded WWII bomb found on building site near Tower Bridge which forced residents to evacuate their homes

 
Evacuation: an Army officer examines the large bomb, found on a south London building site (Pictures: Sgt Rupert Frere RLC/JamesClarke91)
Sebastian Mann24 March 2015

More than a thousand properties will be evacuated in the early hours of tomorrow morning to allow the Army to safely defuse an unexploded bomb near Tower Bridge.

The update comes as pictures of the large World War Two device emerged following a day of disruption that saw a 100m area around the bomb cordoned off and "rest centres" set up by Southwark Council.

The device, 5ft long and 1,000lbs in weight, was discovered at a building site on The Grange, of Grange Road, Bermondsey, shortly before 10am.

In a statement issued on Monday night, the council said: "On Tuesday the Army plans to make the bomb safe and remove it.

Unexpected find: The unexploded device is said to be 5ft long and 1,000lbs in weight (Picture: Sgt Rupert Frere RLC)

"The police are advising people within an extended 200m cordoned area to evacuate their homes in the morning (the cordon tonight was 100m).

"This reverts to the wider cordon we had earlier today which affects about 1,200 properties.

"The evacuation will begin at 6am and should be completed by 8am, to allow the MOD to make the bomb safe for removal during daylight hours."

It added the council expected the cordon to remain in place until late afternoon and any schools within the 200m zone would be closed tomorrow.

Cordon: emergency services have marked off a large area (Picture: Matthew Barksby)

Scotland Yard said its officers would be knocking on doors overnight in a bid to ensure everyone is successfully evacuated.

Chief Superintendent Zander Gibson, Borough commander for Southwark, said: "We are working with Southwark Council, and other partner agencies to ensure the disruption for local people is kept to a minimum, but unfortunately some disruption is unavoidable when dealing with an incident such as this.

"I would ask all residents, where possible, to vacate their premises by 8am tomorrow morning (24 March).

Our officers will be knocking on doors through the night to get this message across. We apologise for disturbing people in the middle of the night but it's the only way we can ensure we are reaching everyone by 8am."

On Monday several road diversions were put in place and Tower Bridge was shut and emergency services and the Army investigated the bomb.

Southwark Council has been providing continual updates throughout the day. Visit its website for more information.

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