🔍 What Is UXO Clearance—and Why It Matters to Every Construction Project in the UK

Across the UK, from coastal energy developments to city-centre infrastructure builds, there’s an often invisible threat just below the surface: Unexploded Ordnance (UXO).

A legacy of WWII bombing raids, military training, and munitions handling, UXO still poses a real and present risk to site safety, budgets, and schedules.

💣 In fact, it's estimated that over 100,000 UXO items are encountered in the UK every year. Most are safely dealt with—but not without planning, expertise, and robust risk management.

At its core, UXO clearance is about safeguarding life and infrastructure by:

• Understanding historical military activity;

• Applying risk-based frameworks (like ALARP);

• And executing precise technical surveys and mitigation strategies.

With clients, developers, and regulators rightly demanding ALARP-level assurance, the UXO sector continues to evolve. From CIRIA guidelines to independent assurance models (like those we apply at Capreae), best practice is being driven by transparency, technology, and trust.

➡️ In this series, I’ll break down:

• How UK UXO operations are structured,

• What "best practice" looks like today,

• The critical differences between maritime and land-based clearance,

• And why independent assurance is becoming the gold standard.

📌 Get in touch to understand how we reduce explosive risk—and deliver confidence from the ground up.