LONDON - Police have cordoned off one of the busiest areas of central London after what’s thought to be an unexploded World War II bomb was dug up at a construction site.

The Metropolitan Police force said “suspected World War II ordnance” was uncovered in Dean Street in Soho, an area packed with shops, restaurants, bars and offices.

An area covering several blocks of the tightly packed neighbourhood was cordoned off while police assessed the device.

The German air force dropped thousands of bombs on the British capital during the war, killing tens of thousands of people. Bombs left over from the conflict are still occasionally uncovered during construction work.