London - Police were last night investigating the possibility that a cache of bombs found hidden in woods could have been part of a racist plot to blow up the Notting Hill Carnival. The eight bombs, which detectives described as highly sophisticated, were found by a man walking his dog near Witney, Oxfordshire, on Friday.
A team of six British army bomb disposal experts worked for almost 48 hours to make them safe. The devices, which could easily have maimed or killed, were contained in clear plastic water bottles with three kilograms of brass nuts packed into the bottom.
Asked about the possibility of a threat to the two-day carnival, which is taking place in London, Det Supt John Donlon said: "We're looking at that very closely with the antiterrorist branch. Because of things which have been said during the week to the promoters of the carnival, that is one thing we are looking at among others."