A Second World War bomb that caused hundreds of homes and the Britain’s Got Talent studio to be evacuated has been safely removed by the Army.

The discovery of the unexploded device on a building site in Empire Way near Wembley Stadium on Thursday led to a 400m cordon being put in place while the Army tried to defuse it.

Danger posed by the 110lb (50kg) bomb, dropped during Nazi air raids in the early 1940s, meant around 300 homes and businesses had to be evacuated and BGT rehearsals were halted.

There were traffic problems in the area due to the cordon.

This Is Local London:

An Army spokesman confirmed it was live munition in a "potentially dangerous condition", warning that even a controlled explosion could cause "significant damage to property" and "a genuine risk to life".

Royal Logistic Corps disposal teams from nearby Northolt and Ashchurch in Gloucestershire worked on excavating the Luftwaffe bomb and Royal Engineers built a blast wall around the site to limit an accidental explosion.

This Is Local London:

Detective Chief Superintendent Mickey Gallagher, from Brent police, said: “I recognise the disruption this incident will have had on local communities and am very grateful for the cooperation and understanding we saw.

“Everyone pulled together through this disruption with the local authority, local businesses and community centres providing much needed rest areas and refreshment for those affected.

“I must also thank our courageous soldiers from various Army regiments for working tirelessly for over 24 hours, using their skill and experience to safely bring this incident to its conclusion.”

This Is Local London:

A BGT spokesman said: "We were just about to start our rehearsal and were trying to build the set when the building was evacuated.

"It has not been great, but it is not detrimental at this stage."

Wembley Stadium tweeted that this weekend's Football League play-offs would go ahead as planned.