UPDATE - Unexploded WWII bomb found in southwestern UK detonated at sea

ADDS DETONATION OF BOMB; REVISES HEADLINE, DECK, LEDE

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) - A WWII-era bomb, found in the southwestern English port city of Plymouth, was detonated under control after being safely transported late Friday.

The unexploded bomb, which was found Tuesday in a garden in Keyham, has been safely detonated hours after it was transferred to sea by a military vehicle.

Devon and Cornwall Police said earlier that the bomb was safely transferred to the sea, bringing relief to residents after fear gripped the city for four days.

A 300-meter-long (656-foot-long) cordon was set up around the disposal route while thousands of residents were evacuated.

Police closed roads and public transportation was stopped Friday as the bomb was transported 1.4 miles (2.3 kilometers) through the city's streets.

Residents received an emergency alert to leave parts of Keyham and Devonport while the bomb was transported through the city.

The 500-kilogram (1,102-pound) bomb caused measures believed to be one of the largest UK peacetime evacuations since WWII as more than 10,300 residents vacated the city and 4,300 properties cordoned off.

"We have been notified by the military that operation has been a success and the bomb has been removed from the area," police said in a statement, adding the cordon also has been lifted and residents who have been evacuated were told that they can return homes.

In recent days, bomb disposal experts from the army and navy have been assessing the device to determine with partners the best possible approach for its disposal.

More than 100 personnel from the British Army and Royal Navy have been involved in a complex operation to remove the munition, identified as an air-dropped German bomb, designated SC-500, the Ministry of Defence said in a statement.

Defense Secretary Grant Shapps thanked personnel who worked on the operation.