I built £50k doomsday bunker after being inspired by iconic film – now I'm forking out another £10k in case of WW3

The Sun

2 days ago

A DAD with a £50k underground bunker has splashed out an extra £10k on upgrades in case World War Three breaks out.
Dave Billings, 44, began the bizarre project at his Derbyshire home more than a decade ago.
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He was inspired to build the underground bunker by the iconic film The Great Escape.
With rising global tensions Dave has since decided to spend an eye watering £10,000 to prep the shelter to become a "survival place."
While the bonkers dad-of-one has admitted that the project will not be "nuclear proof" he has installed blast doors.
Dave lives with his wife Beth, and seven-year-old son Oliver, his goal is to have a secure underground space for his family if things take a turn for the worse.
He said: "With the way things are changing, I'm prepping it to be more of a survival place. It won't necessarily be nuclear-proof, but if you need to hide away, you'll be able to survive."
Dave, an engineer and content creator, estimated that the bunker has so far cost him a whopping £50,000.
Starting life as a disused well, the bunker now consists of a 35 ft tunnel leading into a room that measures 140 ft in total.
The underground hideout features a handcrafted Great Escape tunnel, gym, toilet, sink - and even a beer lift disguised as a keg to carry drinks down to the bunker.
Dave's latest upgrades to the bunker will see food supply, air filtration, water supply and blast doors installed.
Dave said: "I'm going to have to have emergency supplies of food. I'm going to guarantee a source of water. I think the idea is to make a water filtration unit so we can safely use the well water.
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"I want to make blast doors in the bunker so if a big explosion went off outside, it would hold the door shut better.
"As long as you've got food, you can stay here indefinitely.
"If it starts getting bad outside, you've got somewhere to hide away, kind of like what they used to have in World War Two with Anderson shelters.
"People think we're going to get a direct hit, but I'm in the middle of nowhere, it's not really somewhere you get a bomb, is it?"
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Dave doesn't claim to be a 'prepper' - people who stockpile in case of disasters or wars - but said the recent government warnings made him realise how far ahead he is in terms of readiness.
He said: "When I saw it on the news and it said you've got to be prepared for war, I thought, 'what are you preparing for?'
"Because having somewhere underground with a food supply where you can lock yourself in is quite prepared, really.
"I don't think anyone could really be more prepared than I am."
Despite the extensive and seemingly well planned work Dave has put into his bunker, he claims he is making it up as he goes.
He said: "I'm winging it myself really. None of us have got a big plan here of what's going to happen. No one can see into the future."
Adding: "You've got to keep some basic supplies around in your house. When things go wrong there isn't going to be a shop to go to for a start.
"So people should at least get some basic foods and stuff that lasts a long time that will keep them going. Food and water supply, that's the main thing you need.
"If people have got to stay in their houses, you've got to be prepared. Have enough stuff in your house to last you two or three weeks if you can't go out the door. It's always better to be a bit prepared."
Offering advice to others Dave has suggested prepping a supply of food to keep in your house.
Updates on Dave's progress can be found on his social media channels (@Tornado_Dave).
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