The county was shaken by an "almighty boom" today as experts detonated a 250kg German Second World War bomb.

The explosive, which is about 5ft long, was safely detonated just after 9am at a quarry in Cliffe, near Rochester.

Residents have described hearing a loud bang, which shook windows and sent birds into a panic.

Watch: The bomb is detonated

Two kilograms of high explosives were used to blow the bomb up by soldiers from 11 EOD Regiment, Royal Logistic Corps.

The device, which is a SC 250 German Air dropped munition, was detonated by Sergeant Ed Clinton and Sergeant Rich McKinnon, of 11 EOD Regt RLC.

They placed the charges on the bomb and then walked back to a safe area 500 metres to fire the charge.

Although the bomb was buried in a blast pit and covered in sand to minimise the explosion, the blast could be heard more than 10 miles away.

The detonation was initially due to take place at 6pm yesterday, which was then postponed to 10pm, before being moved to this morning.

Hundreds of homes were evacuated yesterday in Southwark, south London, after builders discovered the device.

The authorities said it posed a "significant risk" to life, and warned people that should it explode, homes within 200m could be destroyed.

It is believed the bomb was dropped over London by the Luftwaffe on 11 May 1941 but unusually, did not detonate.

It had lain undisturbed deep in the ground for 70 years but was uncovered during construction works.

Senior Ammunition Technician John Lester QGM from 11 Explosive Ordnance Disposal Royal Logistics Corps was in charge of the operation.

He said: "This bomb was a live munition in a dangerous condition. It had been disturbed by some pretty heavy building machinery which is never a good thing.

"Bombs don't like being bashed around. But once we'd uncovered it we knew what we were dealing with and it was just a question of solving the puzzle quickly so we could get it away and the good residents of Bermondsey back in their homes.

"We knew we had to get it away to dispose of it safely because trying to deal onsite with a bomb that size, even under a controlled explosion would cause significant damage to buildings, property and the risk to major loss of life in such a highly populated part of the city was very high.

"We transported the bomb to its final disposal site in Cliffe, near Rochester, and it was destroyed at 9am."

The bomb's discovery prompted the immediate evacuation of flats in six surrounding housing estates, an estimated 1,200 people.

Many displaced families spent the night in a nearby leisure centre, and were only allowed back to their homes late yesterday afternoon.

Royal Engineers built a safety Hesco “igloo” around the bomb to limit any explosion as the fuse, situated awkwardly underneath the bomb, had to be accessed by trenches dug beneath it.

The soldiers worked through the night and made the device safe to move away under police escort in a specially designed metal container surrounded by tonnes of sand at 6pm yesterday.

The team has previously dealt with explosives in Afghanistan and Northern Ireland which are more complex than Second World War munitions.

Dartford Police tweeted at the time: 'EXPLOSION: Plz don't panic if you hear a loud bang... Army due to safely detonate a WWII UXB discovered in London yesterday.'

A Met Police spokesman said: "Officers thank those living, working and visiting the area for their patience and cooperation throughout this incident."

The Nazis mounted nightly raids over London during the Blitz, between September 7, 1940, and May 21, 1941, dropping thousands of bombs on the city.

The ordnance used by the Luftwaffe included both high explosive devices and incendiary bombs designed to start serious fires.

The device was an 'SA' 250kg German air-dropped bomb, a type well-known to the army's disposal experts.

---

Stories you might have missed

Mum who hit clubber with heel of shoe spared jail

'I need to know the truth about my mum’s death'

Daylight break-in at reverend's home

Probe after man found dead in street

---