Mystery after dog uncovers possible bunker in Portsmouth garden
When their six year old dog Sox kept sniffing around a particular spot in their garden, Ray and Tracy Thomas presumed it must have caught the scent of a fox.
However, at the start of January when Tracy went out to tidy up some bits in the garden of their home in Privett House, Portsea, she discovered Sox had uncovered something man-made.
A narrow hole had appeared at the edge of the garden, just about big enough to peer into. While it was difficult to see, it was clear it opened up into a much larger space with brick work evident.
Tracy, 64, said: “I thought ‘oh my goodness’. I initially thought the foxes must have got in so I called over my husband and he had a word with some Mountjoy workmen that were nearby and they took some photos.”
Ray and the workers were just as stumped at what it could be. Being located near the Historic Dockyard and being surrounded by historical features, Ray and Tracy believed it joined to a bunker.
Tracy said: “We think it might be a tunnel going to the bunker which on the other side of our gate. These buildings are old and were built around the 1930s so we think it might be an escape tunnel going towards the Navy dockyard.”
Having reported it to Portsmouth City Council they advised the couple that they would be investigating it. With a surveyor undertaking an initial investigation, they believe that might have identified what it is.
A Portsmouth City Council spokesperson said: "We sent a repairs contractor to carry out an inspection and make the site safe. An underground brick structure was found, and initial investigations by a surveyor suggest it's a redundant sewer channel, because the arch and brickwork visible are typical of Portsmouth's historic sewer network no longer in use.
“We plan further site investigations with a view to filling the hole to provide a permanent fix."
With the hole boarded up temporarily as investigations continue, Tracy and Ray’s main concern now is not inadvertently discovering another one. Tracy said: “We just have to keep the dogs off and watch where we are walking just in case I fall down another one in the middle of the grass!”