Bomb scare after man pulls pin on antique grenade
A street was evacuated by a bomb squad after a man pulled the pin on an antique hand grenade.
Army personnel sealed off Bixton Close in Northwick, Worcestershire, after the resident caused panic on Sunday evening.
He had bought the RG-42 from an antiques market in Malvern more than a year ago for £30 and did not think it was a live device until he pulled the pin and it 'started making noises'.
The man, who did not want to be named, said he had been showing the item to a few friends when he pulled the pin and realised something was wrong.
He said: 'It started making noises. I noticed something was wrong as soon as I released the safety pin and the spoon sprung off it immediately.
'It made some sort of reaction similar to when a firework fuse is ignited. It was a spilt second, I immediately threw this at the rear of the garden and evacuated the property and called the police.
'I was told to be a minimum 100m away and try to alert neighbours. Police arrived within several minutes.'
A bomb squad X-rayed the grenade to see if it was still active, the resident said.
He said one member of the team was 'sure it was decommissioned but not certain, so he put it inside what looked to be a heavy-duty explosives box and told me he is going to dispose of it back at base'.
'A few people were worried in the street. The area was locked for about three to four hours,' he added.
West Mercia Police, alongside an Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit, attended the scene at about 7pm.
A police spokesman said: 'The EOD team X-rayed the grenade and found it was empty, so there was no need for a controlled explosion.'
The resident said he 'never intended to cause harm or distress' to anyone and had been led to believe the item was deactivated when he purchased it.
The Russian grenade is a collectable for Second World War enthusiasts and is distinguishable by its cylindrical design.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Telegraph
14 minutes ago
- Telegraph
I live in a UK beauty spot threatened by Labour's planning bill. It could become a disaster zone
The UK needs houses. The UK needs open spaces, and wilderness. The Labour government's Planning and Infrastructure Bill, which cleared its second reading in the House of Commons with a majority of 256 votes, is only interested in the former. At the end of 2024, Keir Starmer declared that homes must have a higher priority than nature and the environment, as ministers outlined reforms that could allow more building on England's green belt. Housing minister Angela Rayner backed him, asserting that 'we can't have a situation where a newt is more protected than people who desperately need housing'. The populist punditry that would once have been anathema to leaders and politicians in general is designed to detract from the dire consequences if the bill is passed. Lawyers, environmental charities – including the RSPB and Wildlife Trusts – and activists have assessed that more than 5,000 of England's most vulnerable protected natural habitats are at risk of being destroyed by development thanks to Labour's new planning bill, which has been dubbed a 'licence to kill'. These would include many of the UK's favourite holiday destinations, such as areas that fall under designations like Sites of Special Scientific Interest, the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, Special Protection Areas, Special Areas of Conservation, and much-loved nature-rich parts of National Parks and National Landscapes (formerly AONBs), like the New Forest and the Forest of Bowland. As I live in the Forest of Bowland, I have a stake in this debate. I live in a ribbon of farmland that lies between the Forest of Bowland proper and Pendle Hill, which is part of the same protected National Landscape. South of here is East Lancashire, one of the most densely populated parts of the UK. For residents of Burnley, Blackburn and Accrington, Bowland is the second nearest large green space, after the West Pennine Moors. But Bowland is different. As the 'Forest' in its name suggests it is a former hunting chase, and while there are some pockets of grouse moor management that still rile most ordinary residents and visitors, swathes of the park are open country, ideal for hiking, cycling and family picnics. For decades, access was complicated here, with grouse butts and private lands blocking walkers. Just two decades ago, much of Bowland was opened up to walkers for the first time when the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 gave general right of access to the public to 'access land' for the purposes of open-air recreation on foot. People can walk, run and – where permitted – ride bikes wherever there are paths. To be candid, Bowland doesn't have Instagram-friendly summits to bag or famous poets' houses to swoon over. It doesn't attract countless car-tourers or caravan-users. It is absolutely nothing like the Lake District or nearby Yorkshire Dales. Many of its upland areas are boggy and only the very well-acquainted would want to negotiate the steep-sided valleys or gully-riven, heather-clad slopes. But the relatively low visitor numbers are great for nature. A sizeable central section of the 300-square-mile National Landscape is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest because of the habitats it helps to protect and its internationally important bird populations. One of these is the merlin, the UK's smallest bird of prey (it's only about the size of a thrush). On my last visit I saw one at a distance, seated – ironically – on a grouse butt. During the same half-day visit I also spotted meadow pipits, curlews, skylarks, a stonechat, a greylag goose, and nesting peregrines. The most surprising sighting was a couple of ring ouzels – a red-listed species (that is, 'of high conservation concern') and members of the thrush family that dwells on the uplands. The absolute high point was the bird for which Bowland had become famous: the hen harrier. At first I saw males and females skimming across the top of the heather. This was satisfying enough; hen harriers are among the most persecuted birds in the country. Then I was treated to a sky dance, which is when a male hen harrier performs extraordinary aerial stunts to show off to females, to warn off rival males, or – perhaps – just for fun. The one I saw did Red Arrows-style vertical leaps, back flips, twists and turns, against a clear blue sky. It was one of those moments in nature, all of five minutes, that felt life-enhancing and deeply moving. Does any of this matter as much as the desperate housing situation? Is wildlife really as important as new estates? Is it not time rural England accepted that cities can't accommodate all the new houses and flats? Would Bowland not in fact benefit from development? Am I trying to promote tourism and leisure – arguably luxuries for only some members of society – and ignoring the needs of millions of people? The honest answers to all these questions is clear to anyone who lives in places like the Forest of Bowland. The UK is one of the most nature-depleted nations on earth. How often do we hear now the distressing news that butterflies are disappearing, that once familiar birds have become near-extinct, that hedgehogs are on the same path already taken by red squirrels? Even my greenish patch within the greater Bowland area is, frankly, a classic farm-ageddon of dry-stone wall-to-wall sheep fields, with very limited birdlife and a worrying lack of insect life. The flora that lies outside the sheep-mowed areas is not particularly diverse. The trees are, as often as not, plantations of conifers. This is precisely why we need to protect, at all costs, those areas where species thrive or, at least, have a chance to revive. Bowland is the last place to reimagine how England should reside in the coming decades. As well as being an important, if imperfect, space for nature – as outlined above – it has risible road connections, no railways passing through it, and only a couple of bus services that run infrequently and never after dark. The whole area is poorly supplied with the essential, basic amenities communities need to thrive, from schools and hospitals to theatres and cinemas to local shops and places to eat and drink. Dropping blocks of beige housing – this area seems to specialise in hideous and overpriced executive homes – would at best attract some retirees. Alternatively, if truly affordable housing were built in any useful quantities, the Government would have to seriously consider a new town project of some kind. The nearest urban areas – Preston, Blackburn, Lancaster – currently have deep-set housing, social and transport problems of their own. They all take forever to reach on the winding country lanes that link, eventually, to the jammed and dangerous A59 – the one major trunk road that tears through the Ribble Valley in a blaze of boy-racers, trundling tractors and pelotons of unhappy cyclists. Try this experiment in any of the 5,000-plus precious areas and the results will be the same. The tourism and leisure, exercise and inspiration that ordinary people get from being close to birdsong and surrounded by unsullied, unpeopled emptiness will be sacrificed to cover up the deep tragedy of 40 years (and counting) or poor planning by all shades of government, national and local. Much of British wildlife is threatened. Nightingales, badgers, dormice, otters, butterflies, dragonflies, kingfishers, tufted ducks and egrets are just some of the beautiful creatures that the extant, already damaged natural areas help to conserve. If we wipe these out, and destroy the places they inhabit, what is there for people to do, to see, to admire? The wealthy will go overseas, adding air miles. The rest of us will have nowhere to stretch our legs or lungs. Bowland is no paradise, no idyll. But Labour's short-sighted and unscientific scheme to fill the hills and vales with houses, in the face of criticism from experts from many camps, will turn it into a disaster zone.
The Sun
16 minutes ago
- The Sun
Rangers appoint Russell Martin as manager to end long search for new boss as Ibrox revolution continues
RANGERS have appointed former Southampton boss Russell Martin as their new manager. The 39-year-old has ended months of speculation about the vacancy by accepting the job at Ibrox. 3 3 3 SunSport were first to tell you back on February 22 - the day Philippe Clement was sacked - that Martin was a serious contender. Since then a number of names were linked with the position, including former Real Madrid assistant Davide Ancelotti and ex-Rangers boss Steven Gerrard. But it is ex-Light Blues defender Martin who has made the most convincing pitch to the new American owners at Ibrox to land the job. His name never seemed to go away even despite links with Leicester City. We told you at the start of last week that Martin remained a serious contender and was set for talks to make a fresh pitch for the position. Ancelotti, son of legendary father Carlo, made it clear that Rangers was his preferred choice but a decision had to be made quickly. That was before it was announced that the new US consortium, chairman Andrew Cavenagh and 49ers Enterprises, would take control of the club last Friday. New sporting director Kevin Thelwell said only on Monday how Rangers are closing in on a new manager. And Martin who had a loan spell at Ibrox seven years ago has emerged from the pack of candidates. He guided Southampton into the Premier League with a play-off win over Leeds United at Wembley a year ago. But the Saints dropped straight back down after failing to recover from a disastrous start with one win in 16 games, which cost Martin his job. More to follow...
The Sun
16 minutes ago
- The Sun
‘I'm really weak' – Chris Kamara gives health update as Sky Sports legend reveals new role
CHRIS KAMARA admitted 'I'm really weak' after giving a health update while securing a new role. The Sky Sports legend, 67, was forced to step back from broadcasting two years after being diagnosed with apraxia of speech (AOS). 1 The condition sees sufferers struggle to speak as the brain is unable to properly control the muscles used to form words. Kamara exclusively told The Sun last month that he had travelled to Mexico for treatment. He also suffers from dyspraxia, which affects his balance and coordination. And now, the fan favourite has managed to land himself a new role. For one day only, Kamara will be serving free chip butties at Camden Market with Burton's Fish 'N' Chips on Friday June 6. The surprise gig was carefully considered before being accepted by Kamara because of his AOS and dyspraxia. And he admits his health battle has left him feeling 'really weak' overall. Kamara told The Star: 'I'm choosy these days. "That's what's happened with the work because even though I've got the acceptance of my condition, I still don't want to put myself in a situation where it comes back to bite me. 'So I'm not like the old Chris Kamara who would say yes to the opening of an envelope. What is apraxia of speech? Apraxia of speech is a condition which makes talking difficult, with sufferers knowing what they'd like to say, but having trouble communicating their words. The NHS says that the condition can be extremely frustrating for people. They explained: "Frequently the person with apraxia will have difficulties with conversational speech. However they may be good at 'automatic' speech tasks such as counting, swearing, repeating rhymes, greetings and farewell. It's usually caused by damage to the left side of the brain, such as a stroke. The condition does not affect a person's understanding and the symptoms of the condition can vary occurring to the severity of the disorder. The main symptoms are: being able to say a word correctly one minute and then not the next difficulty at the beginning of words greater difficulty with longer words aware of mistakes but unable to correct them speaking slowly being better at 'automatic tasks' such as counting and singing. "Whereas now I'm a bit more choosy and will I put myself in a situation where it won't work out alongside my apraxia, I have dyspraxia, which affects your balance. 'So I'm weak, really weak, and you know, going down these stairs isn't great. "Going up these stairs is fine, but going down these stairs, the brain tells you you're going to fall even though you probably won't, so you have to hold on to the banister and getting on planes and things like that.' On his dyspraxia, Kamara added: 'Walking is fine but the thing is if I trip I can't put my arms out anymore to stop my fall, so if I was riding a bike, when you stop, the brain won't allow your feet to go down and stop you falling. 'You just fall over the sides, it's crazy, but the brain is so complex, it's amazing. 'I didn't realise the compartments of the brain, where if you talk in an accent. So (for me) I advise speaking in a Scottish accent. "The flow is quicker than my normal speeds, which is crazy, but that's the brain for it.'
