New UK Housing Development Plagued by UXO Finds

Shrewsbury, England Explosive specialists were brought in to scan the gardens at a new housing development after unexploded mortars were found recently on the property. The homes were built on the site of the old Copthorne Barracks in Shrewsbury.

The developer, which plans to build more than 200 homes there in total, initially stated the site was formerly "an army base which did not hold ammunition". The barracks closed as a Ministry of Defence unit in 2012.

A spokesperson from the developer said the safety of residents, staff, contractors and the wider community was its priority. "We are currently communicating with residents to carry out a survey of gardens to ensure no further mortars are present," a spokesperson explained.

The developer said that a risk assessment conducted during the planning process deemed the chances of live ammunition being present as low, and "it is thought that the items found over the past week may have been brought back from a training exercise."