SUSTAINABILITY

FEATURES
DIO EOC magnetometer array used to detect ferrous anomalies in the ground © Crown
DIO Explosive
Ordnance Clearance
EOC Gp work closely with DIO’s
in-house EOC team who form part of
Environment and Planning Support
team. As well as being a focal point for
tasking, the team also carries out
geophysical surveys to identify the
locations of potential ordnance, which
are identified as areas of high ferrous
content (anomalies) in the ground. This
can help to reduce the time spent on a
site by the EOC Gp as not all of the site
needs to be walked over by the
searchers, only selected points that
have been identified from the
geophysics results. DIO EOC staff will
identify and mark the locations for
investigation by the search team.
DIO EOC prepare Unexploded
Ordnance Risk Assessments (UXORA’s)
for DIO sites, whether in disposal, to
inform site redevelopment projects,
understand MOD legacy issues on
alienated land or to support use of the
SD Training Estate. DIO EOC staff
investigate the ordnance history of the
site and use this information to assess
the risk to identified receptors,
predominantly MOD staff, contractors
or the general public. When assessing
a site, the UXORA is often the first step
which could then lead to further
investigation using geophysics and/or
clearance by a military EOC/EOD team.
Case Studies
The DIO EOC team have worked
alongside the EOC Gp on many
occasions; two examples are given in
the case studies below. The Eastern
Infrastructure Project delivered a 20km
(approximately) stretch of reinforced
roadway to protect Salisbury Plain
from excessive erosion when military
vehicles transit the area. The DIO EOC
team scanned the majority of the
route, marking the ferrous anomalies
for investigation by the EOC Gp. Areas
not scanned were cleared using EOC
Gp’s standard approach of ‘search on
Magnetometer scan from Eastern Infrastructure Project at Upavon, showing historic mortar impact area © Crown
signal’. In one particular area a high
density of UXO was discovered and
this led to a request for further
geophysical work to understand the
extent of the affected area. The DIO
EOC survey showed that the route
crossed a former, previously unknown
mortar impact area. The geophysical
scan is shown below with the impact
area clearly visible due to the high
density of metallic response. The
information provided by DIO EOC
assisted the EOC Gp in their planning
of the task and ensured timely
completion in accordance with the
construction schedule.
Mortars and Smiths Rounds recovered from
Barton’s Point, Isle of Sheppey © Crown
A joint task was completed at
Bar ton’s Point, Isle of Sheppey, the
site of a W WII Home Guard mor tar
training area. T his is alienated land
and is now a camp site owned and
operated by the local council. An
emergency bomb disposal team was
called to investigate the suspicious
items found as a MACP (Militar y Aid
to Civilian Powers) task . T h e team
that at tende d the c all rep or te d
a numb er of live o rdnance items
an d a plann e d clearance th en took
place. DIO EO C complete d a scan o f
the area and p rovide d the EO C Gp
with 1106 lo c atio ns to inves tigate.
203 items of iner t or ex p en ded
ordnan ce were re covere d f ro m t h e
si te, pre d o minantly m or t ars and
Smiths R ounds, allowing it to return
to us e as a campsite.
Paul Burden
Principal
Explosive Ordnance Clearance
Defence Infrastructure Organisation
Sanctuary 44 • 2015
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