Mortar Found at Wokingham Building Site

A mortar (thought to date from WWII) has been found on a building site in Wokingham, Berkshire, prompting the evacuation of nearby houses.  An Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team from the Royal Logistics Corps (RLC) is on site to dispose of the item.

Mortars are regularly found across the UK, having been used extensively for military training during both World Wars. Such training did not always take place on designated ranges and therefore this particular type of Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) is often uncovered in unusual locations.

There have also been incidences of mortars being imported in aggregate to building sites or disposed of in discreet locations by civilians wary of the item in their possession. At this stage, there is no indication as to the origin of the device in question. The area of the discovery was largely open farmland during WWII and therefore may have been used for ad hoc training exercises.

For live updates see: http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/live-wokingham-building-site-evacuated-9903772