More than 11,000 people have been asked to leave their homes after an English bomb was found during construction work in the city of Düsseldorf.

The city administration and fire brigade told 11,650 to clear the area, after the 1 tonne bomb was discovered on former prison grounds in the area of Derendorf on Friday morning.

Experts are working on diffusing the bomb.

According to the city administration on Twitter, all people within a radius of 500 metres around the discovery site on Ulmenstraße must leave. According to estimates, this is about 11,650 people.

The city authority said on Twitter: "An English 10-cent bomb was found on Friday morning during construction work on the site of the former prison in Düsseldorf Derendorf. The defusing is planned for today. According to the first evaluations, around 30,000 people are affected by the defusing."

In addition, 19,245 people in a radius of one kilometre around the site are being asked to stay in their homes until the bomb has been declared safe.

The authorities strongly advise against staying outside, as was announced after the crisis management meeting of the city.