Police have confirmed that the suspected bomb found on a Wokingham building site was actually a harmless gas canister.
Yesterday afternoon, they were called to the Eldridge Park development currently being built on Bell Foundry Lane, Wokingham after workers found a suspect device.
As a precaution, police closed major roads around the housing complex: Twyford Road and parts of Matthewsgreen Road, while the investigation took place. Homes were also evacuated while an investigation took place.
As this happened around 4pm on Wednesday, May 9, it caught the start of rush hour, causing traffic issues in the borough.
However, an all clear was given around 7pm and residents were able to return to their homes. A performance of Wokingham Theatre’s latest production of Terence Rattigan’s The Deep Blue Sea was also able to go ahead as planned.
A spokesperson for Thames Valley Police said: “Thames Valley Police were called to a construction site in Wokingham yesterday afternoon at around 3.45pm.
“A cordon was put in place as it was believed an unexploded device, suspected to be historic ordinance, was discovered on a construction site on Bell Foundry Lane.
“The site was evacuated and road closures were put in place while bomb disposal teams investigated the site.
“The device was later found to be a harmless gas canister.
“Everyone was allowed back in their homes and back on site by 7pm.”
READ MORE: Mystery over bomb found at housing development
Although it turned out to be a false alarm, this wasn’t the first time that a suspicious device was found on a building site. When homes were being built in Plough Lane in August 2015, a bomb was found and disposed of.
