Smartcards and Pipemines

Chancellor George Osborne promised £150million for a scheme across the Northern Powerhouse cities but progress has been slow and commuters are still waiting for a joined up system The programme also reveals a previously unknown legacy of World War II. In order to prevent enemy invasion Churchill decided to lay hundreds of pipe mines at 33 airfields within 15 miles of the East coast in case of mass landings by the Luftwaffe. They were never properly cleared and most of the former airfields were subsequently sold off and built on. Bomb disposal experts involved in this 1980s operation are concerned about the risks posed by the un-cleared mines.