RUSH-hour trains on the c2c line have finally returned to normal, after the Nazi bomb which caused last week's commuter chaos was safely detonated.

The 2,200lb Second World War device was unearthed by workers clearing a river bank in Bromley-by-Bow, East London. It was just 650 feet from the busy Shoebury to Fenchurch Street line.

It was detonated in a controlled explosion by an Army team shortly before 6pm on Friday, with about five per cent of the original active explosives still inside.

Commuters endured days of disruption as the Army worked out the best a way to dispose of the device - the biggest Second World War bomb to be found in 30 years.

Ministry of Defence spokesman Simon Saunders said: "We had to prop it up safely, so it didn't roll about, then cut holes to get inside and have a look.

"That is done using very high-pressure water jets to carve the holes - obviously, drilling against a bomb could cause an explosion.

"Having got inside, we thought we would be able to wash away the explosive powder, but the substance inside was solid.

"This meant we had to steam the explosive material out, which takes a bit longer."

It was this discovery that caused delays in reopening the train line on Thursday afternoon and caused C2C to advise commuters to find an alternative routes on Friday morning.

Chairman of Southend Railway Users' Association Peter Slattery said the bomb delayed his journeys six times last week.

He said he was relieved services were back to normal, but criticised c2c for not giving passengers better information.