Olympic chief says there could be bombs buried deep underground at the site in East London

The head of the body responsible for delivering the Olympic games has expressed fears over unexploded bombs buried deep in the ground under the Olympic park in east London.
Jack Lemley, chair of the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA), called for immediate action to be taken to identify what precisely is in the ground under the 273ha site.

Lemley said it was of utmost importance to start remediation as soon as possible. He said: “We have not yet touched the site and this is a huge problem. It is critical to dig trenches and find out what is in the western tip. What if there is unexploded ordnance from the war? We have to identify what is in the ground in order to get the programme moving.”

The warning came as Lemley told an audience of top industry people that “not a spoonful of dirt has been turned all summer”.

A spokesperson for the ODA that the body was taking measures to detect unexploded devices. She said: “We are aware of the history of the site and fully prepared there may be bombs there. Experts in unexploded ordnance have been on site along with other site investigators.”

Lemley also said that he wants the ODA to leave its Canary Wharf office and move to a building near the site in east London.

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