As Iran and Israel stand on a nuclear precipice, dad Dave Billings wants to give his family the best chance if things escalate in the Middle East thanks to his mega bunker
A dad who spent £50,000 building an underground bunker in his back garden is now planning a mega upgrade in case World War 3 breaks out.
Dave Billings, 44, began the project at his Derbyshire home more than a decade ago after being inspired by iconic film the Great Escape. But with tensions rising in the Middle East, he’s decided to prep the shelter to become a “survival place” but warned neighbours eyeing up a safe haven that it won’t be “nuclear-proof”.
Dad-of-one Dave, who lives with his wife Beth and their seven-year-old son Oliver, said the goal is to have a secure underground space for his family if things do 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, estimates he’s so far spent around £50,000 on the bunker, which started as a disused well. A 35ft tunnel now leads into a multi-room facility, which measures 140ft 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.
The upgrade will consist of food supply, air filtration, water supply and blast doors. 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.
“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?” While he doesn’t claim to be a ‘prepper’ – people who stockpile in case of disasters or wars – Dave 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 serious upgrades, Dave says he’s still figuring it out as he goes. “I’m winging it myself really,” he said. “None of us have got a big plan here of what’s going to happen. No one can see into the future.” On his advice to others he suggested preparing a supply of food to keep in your house ready.
He said: “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.”