30 years since IRA bicycle bomb left Bognor Regis residents shocked: Here are 9 pictures of the aftermath

The IRA was behind the blast which destroyed the shopfronts of at least 15 Bognor businesses that evening, leaving the London Road precinct a mass of shattered glass.

The bomb had been left on a bicycle locked to the bike rack outside Woolworths, which took the brunt of the explosion.

A coded warning had been issued by the terrorist organisation 42 minutes prior to the explosion.

The specific location of the bomb was not provided, and police began clearing the area of any residents still around after the shops on the high street had closed for the day.

The bomb went off at 5.57pm and, thankfully, police reported no casualties.

Many were puzzled as to why Bognor was chosen as a target by the IRA in one of its last mainland explosions, but residents responded with an unyielding refusal to let the event shake them.

Just days later, workmen were busy repairing the damage while shoppers swarmed back onto the high street, letting those behind the bomb know that they were not afraid.

Woolworths in particular was determined not to let the explosion stand in its way of serving customers; 65 hours after the bomb went off, the store's front doors were already open for to welcome shoppers back.

Police busied themselves following more than 500 enquiries from determined residents to try to find those resposible.

On the same day, a similar bicycle bomb was also planted in Brighton and was detonated in a controlled explosion.