A World War I bomb weighing about 750kg was discovered on a building site near a church in Lombardsijde, Middelkerke, on Monday afternoon, prompting the evacuation of around 120 people.
The area returned to normal by about 5 p.m.
The device was found by workers at the site on the outskirts of the church, Mayor Jean-Marie Dedecker said.
Emergency services rushed to the scene, along with Belgium’s bomb disposal service, SEDEE.
The shell was made safe by the bomb disposal experts and then removed.
Residents and others in the area were taken to a municipal sports centre during the operation.
