Brabants Dagblad - 29 August 2017

UDEN/VOLKEL - The search for explosives on a site in Volkel where a solar park is to be constructed yielded only scrap metal today. But we still have three weeks to go", say the men of Explosive Clearance Group (ECG) who started Monday morning.

Possibly six duds, 188 suspect objects and twenty uninterpretable areas were identified by preliminary investigation. All were digitally measured and determined by GPS. "We know exactly where we need to be", says Steven Jonkers of ECG. We set out flags, we search using detectors and in many cases we can then remove the objects with a shovel. If it is deeper or larger, we have an excavator available."

Cartridges and grenades
If aerial bombs are found, the men are obliged to call in the Explosives Clearing Service. The procedure is different for ammunition such as cartridges and grenades: ,, We determine the condition and type of the projectile. With live ammunition, the EOD is called in again, otherwise we do it ourselves. But you don't drag bombs.

The men are not afraid that hobbyists will use detectors in the evening. In the first place, this is prohibited by the Uden General Local Regulations. Moreover, the ammunition is often buried so deep that it cannot be found with an ordinary hobby detector. And the terrain is carefully monitored.

Text: Kees Back
Images: Van Assendelft Photography