Bomb disposal team called to Ashford's post-Brexit lorry park next to Junction 10a of M20
11:59, 08 September 2020
updated: 12:13, 08 September 2020
Bomb disposal experts were called to Ashford's post-Brexit lorry park after a suspicious object was found on the site.
Contractors had previously uncovered what was thought to be a Saxon wall on the 27-acre plot in Sevington, forcing work to stop in one corner next to Church Road.
But the Army was called upon on Friday afternoon when a worker thought they had found a mortar bomb.
Police officers joined an explosive ordnance disposal team at the scene close to Junction 10a of the M20, but the object was found to be non-explosive and no further action was taken.
KentOnline revealed today how work started on the site even though the government is yet to complete an environmental impact assessment.
When the lorry park opens at the end of the year, it is set to hold up to 2,000 trucks and be used as a customs checkpoint.
The site - which was previously earmarked for a huge industrial estate - is likely to be completed by November to ensure the HGV park can be "properly tested" ahead of the UK's EU departure on December 31.
The DfT says the wall found close to Church Road is not Saxon, but did not say which period it is from when asked by KentOnline.
Temporary orange fencing currently surrounds the spot where the wall has been found.
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