Olympic project suspended after bomb discovered

Work has been suspended on a crucial lock system to serve the London 2012 Olympics after an unexploded bomb was found by contractors.

Volker Stevin workers at Prescott Channel found the World War Two device in a river bed yesterday morning while they were excavating an area near a river wall.

Parts of London Underground's District line and Hammersmith and City line were suspended while the army investigated the device.

A spokeswoman for Volker Stevin said staff were still banned from the site today and did not know when they would be allowed to return to work.

“The Ministry of Defence has taken control of the site and we really aren’t being told much at all,” the spokeswoman said.

Metropolitan Police estimated cordons would be in place for three days and water transport restricted along the River Lea from Bow Locks to Old Ford Locks.

The contractors are building a lock system south of the Olympic site that will control navigable access to Olympic Park and provide a sustainable route for the transportation of construction materials.