The 600 metre cordon around Exmouth Marina has been lifted, and dispersed residents have been able to return home, some for the first time in two nights.
The unexploded second World War bomb, dredged out of the water earlier this week, was towed at hightide this morning to a location off the coast and disposed of safely.
Councillor Paul Arnott, Deputy Leader of Devon County Council and Leader of East Devon District Council, still minutes before the bomb was detonated, spoke of his impression about how the incident went.
“It’s been quite a 48 hours,” he said..
“I think the first vote of thanks I want to give is to the people of Exmouth and how they’ve responded, the patience, the kindness, the collaboration.
“But I’ve really got to also pay tribute to the work of the councils involved together.
“I’ve seen officers I know very well from both the District and the County Council getting down there to what was effectively the triage point at the leisure centre in Exmouth…and just dispersing people into suitable accommodation within hours.
“It’s been really moving to see how they do it and to see people whose day jobs as officers at those councils can be something completely different – environmental health, planning, whatever – and they’ve just got stuck in.
“District and County Council officers who live in Exmouth or near the city, and just got down here, got stuck in, set up a table, set up a computer system. It was very important to keep a log of who was going where and everything like that.
“It’s been very impressive and very moving to see how these authorities have been working together across the piece.
“To people of Exmouth, thank you so much.
“I mean, it’s humbling. They have expressed gratitude, but it should be the other way around, because they’ve just been so patient and responded so well.
“And sensibly, where they haven’t needed accommodation from the public authorities, but could go and stay with family and friends.
“By doing that, that’s made it much easier for us to cope. This could have been a really serious challenge if they hadn’t done that.
“So thank you, well done. I don’t want to sound patronising but I’ve been genuinely moved by the way in which they responded.
“I’m glad it’s over though to be quite frank, it’s been exhausting for everybody.”
