Unexploded Mortar Disrupts Birmingham Rail Services

Rail services in and out of Birmingham New Street station faced significant disruptions on Tuesday after the discovery of an old wartime mortar device near a railway line in the Washwood Heath area. The incident, reported shortly before 9:45 a.m., prompted an evacuation and a 100-meter exclusion zone, affecting routes to Tamworth in Staffordshire and Nuneaton in Warwickshire.

West Midlands Police responded to the Duddeston Mill Trading Estate on Duddeston Mill Road following reports of the unexploded device. Officers established the exclusion zone to ensure public safety, evacuating people from the site. An explosive ordnance disposal team was dispatched to assess and neutralize the mortar, which authorities described as self-contained within the trading estate. The zone extended to the nearby railway line at Duddeston, leading to temporary closures that halted train operations.

A spokesperson for West Midlands Police stated, "We were called to Duddeston Mill Trading Estate, on Duddeston Mill Road, Washwood Heath, shortly before 9:45 a.m. today following the discovery of an old mortar device. The incident is self-contained within the site, and people have been evacuated. An EOD...