Dozens of homes were evacuated in London last night after suspected radioactive material was discovered in bin bags just yards from a primary school.
Emergency services rushed to Bentworth Road in Hammersmith shortly before 7pm on Thursday following the alarming find at a semi-detached council house.
Specialist officers trained in chemical, biological, radiation and nuclear incidents swarmed the street, forcing at least a dozen households to leave their homes – just 100 yards away from Ark Bentworth Primary Academy.
The discovery was made when cleaners clearing out the property of elderly hoarders took rubbish to a local scrap yard, where scanning equipment detected radioactive material in the bags.
The Metropolitan Police said the substance was eventually ‘checked and found to be safe’
PA
Residents were prevented from entering the street while safety checks were carried out.
A cleaner named George, who made the discovery, told the Metro: “I took one load of bin bags and rubbish to the tip and when they scanned it they said I couldn’t leave it here because it was radioactive.”
“Every room is filled with items; they haven’t thrown anything away for years,” he added.
The private cleaning company had been hired to empty the house on Thursday afternoon when they encountered the suspicious materials.
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The substance was found just yards from Ark Bentworth Primary Academy
“I’ve cleaned so many houses and places like this and just don’t know what is inside the place,” George said.
The scrap yard’s scanning equipment immediately flagged concerns when the rubbish was brought in for disposal.
The elderly residents of the property were described by neighbours as “very nice people” who were “serious hoarders.”
According to a neighbour, the elderly woman passed away last Christmas, while the male occupant had moved into a care home several months ago.
“Nobody else was living there, I think they must have had their whole life in that house, and it looked like they never threw anything away,” the neighbour said.
George confirmed that one of the residents was 90 years old when she died, and the property showed signs of decades of hoarding.
“It’s a council house and you never know what you’re going to find,” George added.
Police later confirmed the item was a non-dangerous antique World War II compass containing a small amount of radium.
Officers swiftly stood down the incident after determining the item posed no threat to public safety.
Residents were allowed to return to their homes that evening following the safety checks.
“We were called after a person found an item they believed contained a harmful/chemical substance – it was checked and found to be safe,” a Met Police spokesman said.
“No further action,” he added.