WATCH: "Oh dear" - laughter from bemused onlookers as bomb disposal robot falls down steps and gets stuck as it bids to disarm "suspicious" item in Portsmouth
Portsmouth city centre was thrown into lockdown on Sunday as a suspected bomb was discovered at the railway station.
The suspicious item was found at 7.40am at Portsmouth and Southsea railway station resulting in an urgent response from emergency crews as the transport hub was closed down along with businesses around the Guildhall area and a cordon set up.
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As part of the specialist deployment to deal with the potential life and death situation, a bomb disposal robot was called in to disarm the potential bomb. However, in the midst of the crisis all did not go to plan for the hapless robot.
Despite the high tech piece of machinery having the ability to nullify a bomb, navigating down a short row of steps was beyond the expertise of the robot. A video captured showed the robot fall down the steps as it went to investigate the suspicious item.
And to further compound its misery in front of members of the public who had gathered to watch from behind a cordon, it then got stuck with its front embedded into the pavement with its wheels stuck the air.
Two officers then dash over to get the robot upright again but struggle due to its size and weight. After some effort, the robot is restored back onto its wheels with people heard mockingly clapping. Following the fall down the steps, one person seemingly summed up the mood by saying: “Oh dear.”
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