'It was absolutely terrifying - I actually had the tank shell in my hands'
A man clearing out the cellar of his new house prompted a major police response after he discovered a tank shell from World War Two.
Emergency services swarmed Reuben Street in Reddish at around midday on Friday (April 11) following the discovery, which prompted the entire street to be cordoned off and neighbours evacuated.
The adjacent Manchester Road was closed for a number of hours as police, fire and army bomb disposal units worked to safely retrieve the shell. It was then transported to Woodbank Park where a controlled explosion was carried out just after 3:30pm.
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The owner of the property, who bought it at auction and asked not to be named, told the M.E.N he was in the process of clearing and renovating it when he made the discovery.
'I had nearly finished it all, and I was in the cellar when I noticed a cupboard I hadn't looked in yet,' he said.
'It was absolutely terrifying. I actually had the shell in my hands and it was all rusty and crumbling away.'
'I thought, OK, let's just put this down, and I called the police straight away. They shut the road immediately – it was unbelievable.'
The owner said he had been clearing out the house for over a month and had removed eight skips' worth and two van loads of items from the property. The previous owners were an elderly couple believed to have lived there for 'decades'.
Incredibly, this is not the first time he has had to get police involved in his clear-out.
'I never knew the previous owners, but from going through the property, you can build a picture of who they were,' the owner said. 'He seemed to like his DIY – and he liked to go hunting too.
'He had a shotgun license, an air rifle, and an antique musket."
A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said: "At around 11.45am this morning (Friday 11 April 2025), we were called to reports of a historic tank shell from World War Two found at an address on Reuben Street in Reddish, Stockport.
"Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) attended the scene and took the device to a nearby park to carry out a controlled explosion.
"As a precaution, a number of properties in the area have been asked to evacuate and there are road closures in place. Thank you for your cooperation."
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