Volunteers help in bomb drama

Last night 9 vehicles, 18 crew members and 2 liaison officers from St John Ambulance Suffolk were deployed to Felixtowe on the East coast, to assist the ambulance service in the partial evacuation of the town, following the discovery of a bomb on the beach.

Vehicles were sent from locations across the county, including Ipswich, Sudbury, Bury, and Lowestoft. St John Ambulance Suffolk assisted seven out of the 18 vulnerable people who had been identified as requiring ambulance transportation. These people, along with their carers, were transported to safe locations around Felixtowe and Ispwich. 

Keith Hotchkiss, Operations Manager of St John Ambulance Suffolk, said: 'As soon as we were alerted to the situation at Felixstowe we began assembling volunteers and vehicles to attend the scene.

'The Suffolk Division remains on standby for their repatriation which will hopefully be some time today.'

Up to 1,200 people were told to leave their homes by police and asked to seek shelter with friends and family. Many families spent the night at a nearby Sports Centre in High Road East, Felixstowe.

Police are today urging Felixstowe residents not to go back to their homes. Experts are currently preparing to move the 500 kilo bomb this morning and take it out to sea.

The explosive device was found 40 metres from the busy promenade, close to the Sea Road site where a £10 million sea defence scheme is currently taking place. It is thought the bomb dates from the Second World War and that it was washed ashore during rough seas over the weekend.