Nearly 200 bombs from World War II have been found under a children's playground in northern England in the town of Wooler, media reported, further stating that more such bombs will be unearthed. Reports said that a total of 176 bombs have now been found so far. 

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The bombs were found during a construction project to expand the playground. The staff found a suspicious object while digging the foundation. 

The first of the bombs still contained a charge which means they were found with their fuse and contents still intact. 

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In an undated press release, Wooler Parish Council said, "The Parish Council engaged Brimstone Site Investigations to conduct the initial survey of the play area to identify if there were any further ordnance still buried within the playpark." 

"Brimstone responded quickly and attended site on 23rd January, initially for a 2 day survey but it soon became apparent that the scale of the problem was far greater than anyone had anticipated," it added. 

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The press release noted that 65 practice bombs, weighing about 10 pounds each, were recovered in an area of less than one square foot with smoke cartridges also being recovered from the same pit on the first day of work. 

While the ordnance was described as practice bombs, they do still carry a charge and given the numbers involved, need to be recovered by professionals to satisfy all concerned that the playpark area is once again safe for contractors and ultimately users of the equipment. 

The next day, another 90 practice bombs were found in about a 20 square feet area. 

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"By the end of day two the pit had been extended to 2m sq and a further 90 practice bombs had been recovered, and these were safely removed to the designated storage area," the release noted. 

The official release said that because of the large amount of ordnance buried, "the site survey could not be completed in the anticipated two days and a further deployment would be necessary". 

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'Children have been playing on bombs'

"It's quite something to think the children have been playing on bombs and it's been a really challenging situation," local councillor Mark Mather told the BBC. 

The BBC report further mentioned that the playground probably was initially used as a Home Guard training ground and the bombs were buried at the end of the war. 

"I never thought as a parish councillor I'd be dealing with bomb disposal," Mather told the news outlet. 

(With inputs from agencies)