WEXFORD GARDAÍ AND the Army Bomb Disposal Team were called to a housing estate on the O’Leary Road in Wexford town yesterday afternoon when a suspicious item was found and a number of houses had to be evacuated.

Speaking on South East Radio yesterday, local Garda Inspector Paddy Casey told the station that an unexploded device was successfully defused.

“Unfortunately a fisherman had caught a device he pulled up in his nets and when he came home and he was fixing his gear he found this unexploded World War II device,” the inspector said.

“We’re lucky that today is a Sunday, we’re right beside a primary school. That would have thrown up it’s own difficulties if we had found it this morning or during the week.”

The Army Bomb Disposal Team based in Collins Barracks, Cork was tasked with defusing the item, which the Defence Forces have confirmed to The Journal was a solid steel training round.

Inspector Casey spoke to a South East Radio reporter in the housing estate yesterday evening as members of the Bomb Disposal team 200 yards away worked to defuse the round. 

“They’ve come here and taken over the scene and dealt with it and they’ll take any measures necessary to deal with the device, which they have confirmed is a real World War II device.”

The device was safely defused around 6.30pm.