A university has to pay for the damage caused by the controlled detonation of an unexploded German bomb because its insurer deemed it an act of war.
Exeter University wanted to make a claim after the Second World War explosive, discovered on land next to a halls of residence, damaged buildings and led to the temporary rehousing of students.
The blast from the 1,000kg bomb threw debris at least 800ft (250m) and left a crater the size of a double-decker bus. However, Allianz, the university’s insurer, has refused to pay out under its “war exclusion” policy.
The university took the firm to the Court of Appeal but judges have rejected its claim that the exemption should not apply to historic conflicts.
