🧭 The UXO Clearance Lifecycle in the UK: What Every Principal Contractor Should Know

Before a piling rig breaks ground or a cable is laid offshore, there’s a critical question every project must answer: Is there a risk of unexploded ordnance (UXO) on site?

In the UK, managing this risk is not guesswork. It follows a defined, defensible, and auditable lifecycle. Here’s how:

🔹 1. Desk-Based Risk Assessment (DRA) This is the starting point. Using historical archives—military records, Luftwaffe bomb plots, land use data—we assess whether your site was likely to have been exposed to UXO contamination.

➡️ If the risk is low, you may proceed with standard precautions. If elevated, more steps are needed.

🔹 2. Non-Intrusive Survey We deploy geophysical sensors (e.g., magnetometers) to scan the site surface or shallow subsurface. This is especially useful in open fields or undeveloped ground.

🔹 3. Intrusive Investigation For deeper risk areas—like pile foundations—we use drilling and magnetometry to investigate specific points. This identifies UXO items at depth with high accuracy.

🔹 4. Targeted Clearance Suspect items are safely removed by trained EOD personnel under strict safety protocols. At this point, you're mitigating risk as low as reasonably practicable (ALARP).

🔹 5. Verification and Reporting All works are documented. This is vital for client assurance, regulator confidence, and legal due diligence.

Each stage must be justified by risk and tailored to the project’s needs. One-size-fits-all doesn't work with UXO—and cutting corners can prove costly.

At Capreae, we provide independent oversight at each phase to ensure the lifecycle is defensible, auditable, and ALARP-aligned.

📢 Next up in the series: How CIRIA shapes best practice—and why it matters more than ever in today’s regulatory environment.