THE safest place to be in the UK if World War 3 erupts has been revealed – but it can only hold 90 people.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 sparked fears of global war but ongoing conflicts involving Iran and the Middle East, China and Taiwan, and North Korea has the world holding its breath.
The BBC’s Wood Norton premises hides a hidden bunker which would have served as post-apocalypse HQ[/caption]
Many fear the crisis in Ukraine could still develop, with officials warning it could see the bloodiest conflict in Europe since WW2 if resulting in nuclear war.
General Sir Patrick Sanders, Chief of the General Staff, recently said Brits could even face a call-up if the UK goes to war with Russia.
Meanwhile, the Middle East has become a powder keg unsettled by Israel’s ongoing war against Hamas, Iran-backed Houthi rebel attacks in the Red Sea, and recent clashes and strikes between Iran and Pakistan.
And Nato recently announced its biggest call-up in decades as 90,000 troops prepare to begin World War Three drills.
However, if a full-blown World War Three does erupt, one place located in the UK will be the safest.
Wood Norton, a tunnel network running deep into the Worcestershire forest, has only a small radio mast and security banner visible from ground level.
Chiefs previously drew up detailed plans for the Wartime Broadcasting System designed to operate from Wood Norton if nuclear hell rains down upon Britain.
BBC HQ would have been a bunker at the Engineering Training Department at Wood Norton, where 90 staff would broadcast government-controlled output.
It is currently being used as a training base for sound engineers and technical staff at the broadcasting company.
But its mast would continue broadcasting messages from the BBC if the UK were ever to go into crisis mode.
Also referred to as PAWN, Protected Area Wood Norton, the site boasts several storeys of architecture underground.
BBC documents released in 2016 revealed that the base would be utilised in the event of a grave attack on the UK.
The facility is reportedly able to house up 90 BBC staff – including 12 news editors and sub-editors – and is even equipped with a ping-pong table.
Known as the “War Book”, the now-scrapped Cold War plans would have seen 11 scattered bunkers serving as the new bases of operations.
The bomb-proof safe havens, dotted around Britain, would have sheltered government ministers as radiation seeped through the country.
But the BBC also had a studio in each of these bunkers, with five staff per studio on standby to beam out the news to whoever may be listening in the nuclear wasteland.
GLOBAL CONFLICT
It comes after reports of Putin’s health deteriorating, there are fears that he could turn to nuclear nuclear weapons out of desperation.
Ukraine has fought back courageously ever since and continued to defy the odds by defending itself against Russian onslaughts with the help of Western military aid.
In November 2022, WW3 tensions grew after it was reported that Russian-built missiles crossed into Poland, a Nato country.
Although the stray missile was likely fired by Ukraine as it defended its territory from a Russian onslaught, the incident marked the first time a Nato country has been hit during Russia’s war in Ukraine.
North Korea is also ready to pounce on the West as Putin’s alliance with deranged leader Kim Jong-Un continues to grow.
Just weeks ago Putin unleashed North Korean rockets in Ukraine, killing hundreds in an unprecedented development.
But Kim has also threatened to start a war of his own after labelling South Korea his “principal enemy” – adding that the nuclear weapons at his disposal are not to be ignored.
This came just days after his sister and prominent ally – Kim Yo-Jong – vowed to unleash an “immediate military strike” on neighbouring South Korea over the “slightest provocation”.
Across the Asian continent, fears continue to mount over a possible Chinese invasion of Taiwan.
Beijing has already threatened to spark “uncontrolled escalation” and all-out warfare over one “misunderstanding”, as president Xi Jinping looks to stamp his authority.
China regards self-governing island Taiwan as part of its territory – and has vowed to take it by force if necessary, carrying out ever more regular invasion rehearsals.
In the Middle East, Israel’s ongoing war with Palestinian terror group Hamas has widened the threat of Iran in recent months.
Iraq, Syria, Yemen and Lebanon have all been dragged into the conflict, as have the UK and US.
And Iran’s terror proxies – including Hezbollah and the Houthis – have already gone up against Israel, the US and UK.
But after Iran attacked targets inside Pakistan with bomb-carrying drones and rockets, fears of an all-out war in the Middle East have never been higher.
