A man who bought a new house in Middlesbrough found something that was not in the property’s details – a Second World War bunker.
when looking through the overgrown grass in his garden, Mr Scott discovered what he originally thought was a drain pipe cover but But it turned out to be the entrance to a concrete-lined, two-room bunker, big enough for more than 50 people.
The bunker was partially filled with water, but after it was drained two rooms measuring about 4m x 4m were revealed, which were separated by a wooden door and is around six foot in height.
The secret bunker is thought to be a secret hideout which was used to accommodate the 100 or so people living on the street.
At the bottom of the first cavity, which had a metal ladder around 10ft in length attached to it, there was a wooden door which was open and led to the two rooms.
The first room measured around four metres by three metres while the second was five metres by three metres.
At the end of the second room was another door, where they found another ladder behind the rubble.
‘It’s an emergency escape ladder in case the first one was destroyed or blocked by rubble from a bomb,’ said Chris.
‘It’s not worth fully digging it out as it’s a small area.’
Mr Scott said neighbours had mentioned the possibility of a bunker in the back garden.
He said: ‘We were really shocked by the size of it.
‘There are a lot of electrics and switches down there and lights on the wall. A big table and lots of silt that could contain anything from back then.’
The married father-of-one, 40, said he plans to turn the bunker into a wine cellar or an office.
Mr Scott said: “It was actually my builder who convinced me to open it up but I didn’t really want to because I thought it was a drain but he said ‘let’s have a look anyway’.”
“There were still a lot of electrics in place and some snorkel-type devices which must have there to help people breathe.”
It is thought the bunker was used to hold people during bombing raids.
