- Met said officers were responding to WW2 ordnance in river at George V Dock
- Police said device was discovered during routine work early on Sunday morning
- At 10pm tonight the decision was made to implement a 230 yard exclusion zone
London City Airport has been closed and surrounding roads have been shut off after an unexploded World War Two bomb was found near to its runway.
The Metropolitan Police said officers were ‘responding to a World War Two ordnance in the River Thames at George V Dock’.
Police said the device was discovered during routine work at the airport early on Sunday morning.
London City Airport, to the east of the capital’s financial district, sits on the banks of the River Thames
After the Nazi-era device was analysed by Royal Navy experts a 200-yard exclusion zone was put in place at 10pm last night, forcing the airport to close and potentially bringing chaos to passengers. It was unclear how long the runway would remain shut for.
A Met Police statement added: ‘The ordnance was discovered as part of pre-planned work at London City Airport and reported to the police at 5:06am on Sunday, 11 February.
‘Specialist officers and the Royal Navy have attended and confirmed the nature of the device.
‘The operation to remove the ordnance is ongoing in partnership with our colleagues in the Royal Navy.
‘At 10pm, an operational decision was made with the Royal Navy to implement a 214m (230 yard) exclusion zone to ensure that the ordnance can be safely dealt with whilst limiting any risk to the public.
‘There will also be disruption to inbound and outbound flights during the operation. London City Airport are urging passengers to contact their airline before travelling.’
Transport for London tweeted the airport was shut and said road closures were in effect.
The transport authority wrote: ‘The airport has been closed due to an emergency services incident. There are also additional local road closures due to the incident. Traffic is light in the area.’
More to follow.