A woman from Newtownards has said she’s “hoping for the best” amid fears for her home after being forced to evacuate due to a bomb scare.
It follows the discovery of a WWII bomb in a building site in the Rivenwood area of Newtownards. It is expected that the operation will continue for a “number of days”.
Speaking on Good Morning Ulster Stephanie O’Fee, one of the many residents asked to evacuate over the weekend, said it has been a stressful few days.
“Luckily I have no young children or anything but I can’t imagine the stress that would have on young families trying to find somewhere to go.
“My concern was my pets and I was straight away trying to find somewhere for my cats to go because the cats couldn’t come with me.
“So it was a lot of stress and it was Saturday night, nobody’s responding, the catteries are all closed,” she said.
Residents of more than 400 homes have been forced to find temporary accommodation as police continue to deal with a suspected Second World War bomb.
The PSNI and Army have cordoned off the scene in the housing development, with heavy-duty vehicles being brought in to deal with the bomb.
Diggers are being used to pour sand on top of the device before a planned explosion can take place.
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Stephanie said rumours had been spiralling around the neighbourhood about the WWII ammunition but nothing was confirmed until Saturday evening.
“Obviously the experts arrived yesterday and they (the police) probably didn’t know a great deal until the experts arrived so they just said the ammunition had been found and we had to get out by 10am on Sunday morning,” she said.
Stephanie started a new job on Monday, making the evacuation more stressful.
“I’m about to get on the road for the first day at a new job so it’s not the best time, lucky I’m staying with family but initially I didn’t have anywhere to go because where I’m staying it’s not suitable for me to stay here but it’s an emergency.
“I’ve managed to find somewhere for my cats temporarily, but that’s only for a couple of days and then I have to find somewhere else for them to go.
“So it’s been a big upheaval but there is people much worse affected than me,” she said.
Stephanie is worried her home will be damaged following the evacuation.
“My house is very close so obviously there are concerns (about) what damage is gonna be done to our homes, and likely, that won’t be covered by insurance.
“Before leaving our homes I was asking the police ‘What can we do to secure our homes?’. There was no guidance from the police so we just had to leave our homes and hope for the best,” she said.
Stephanie was frustrated with a lack of communication between the PSNI and residents at Rivenwood.
“They are just going with the knowledge they have and they have to wait until they are given their information from the military and the experts so they can only go off the knowledge they have but we didn’t have good communication if I’m honest.
“I understand they are in a tough situation but we really needed more guidance before we left our homes on what we could do,” she said.
Stephanie is nervous she won’t be able to afford to repair her home if any damage is caused.
“(It is) my first house, I’ve been in (for) two years and I’m on my own so everything falls on me personally so it is a huge concern, what are we going to go back to?
“But we just have to put our faith in our forces and know they are doing the best job possible,” she said.
For now, Stephanie said she is just hoping to get back to her home as soon as possible.
“We don’t know when we will get back to our houses, they have given us a five day estimate but it could be longer and, to be honest, I think it will be longer,” she said.
North Down and Ards District Commander Superintendent Johnston McDowell thanked residents for their patience.
“It is anticipated at this stage that the operation will continue for a number of days,” he said.
“A police cordon is in place and motorists are advised to continue to avoid the area.
“I appreciate the disruption that this has caused. However, keeping people safe is paramount and we will not take any risks.
“I want to thank those who may be affected for their patience at this time. We will continue to minimise any further disruption, as our priority is to keep residents and the local community safe.”
Also speaking on Good Morning Ulster, DUP MPJim Shannon for the area said he had been liaising with local police.
“The first priority is safety, the first priority of the police is to ensure everyone is safe,” he said.
Mr Shannon said he is aware people are returning to their evacuated homes to pick up essentials they left behind.
“People left their house in a hurry; some had to go back and get their clothes so they could stay with someone, some people have nowhere to stay so the accommodation has to be found,” he said.
Mr Shannon is also aware of a resident that has so far been unable to leave their home; he said he is working with the council and local police to ensure the safety of everyone involved.
“There has to be access to homes within the safety conditions the police have put in place,” he said.
The PSNI has been asked for a response.