The A259 coast road has reopened after a suspected wartime bomb in Peacehaven turned out to be a fuel tank.
Sussex Police said: “Shortly after 8.30am on Thursday (7 September) Explosive Ordnance Disposal experts confirmed that what was feared to be a wartime bomb on a building site in Peacehaven is, in fact, a disused fuel tank.
“Agencies are now working together to return the situation to normal.
“The A259 South Coast Road has been re-opened and local diversions removed.
“A 200-metre exclusion zone, which saw some 55 people having to spend the night at local reception centres, has been lifted. Displaced residents are now returning home.
“The Peacehaven Heights and Telscombe Cliffs primary schools, and Peacehaven Community School, closed as a precaution, will remain shut for the rest of the day.”
WW2 Bomb discovered on building site in Peacehaven shutting down main A259 road between Newhaven & Rottingdean pic.twitter.com/aClTO3U4OO
— Daniel Moon (@dmoonuk) September 6, 2017
Superintendent Jane Derrick, from Sussex Police, said: “I’m sure everyone is relieved that this incident has been safely resolved and I’d like to thank everyone affected for their patience and understanding.
“In such situations safety is always paramount. Unfortunately no one was able to determine exactly what we were dealing with until painstaking work by bomb disposal experts throughout the night confirmed there was no danger.”
