Police continue search for hand grenades found in Hopwood canal
Officers are continuing to search for five suspected hand grenades found in a Worcestershire canal by a magnet fisher.West Mercia Police said a man found a total of seven devices in the canal on Lea End Lane in Hopwood on Friday, but left the area with five of them, leaving two on the bank.The force is appealing for the man who found the grenades to come forward so they can be "safely recovered".Richard Field, districts inspector for Redditch and Bromsgrove, said it was worrying as the grenades were described as being "quite volatile" and could pose a risk to the public.
"Because they're ageing, the safety advice is to ring us on 999 immediately, there will be a cordon placed on and then those items will be made safe by the bomb disposal team," he said.The two grenades that were left on the river bank had since been safely detonated in a controlled explosion, after a 100m cordon was placed around the canal.Insp Field said the force's primary aim was around the safety of the wider public.He explained the grenades were from the "World War Two era and therefore there's a risk to the public if the grenade is not treated or addressed by the army bomb disposal team"."Our theory is that they've either been dumped somewhere, which is obviously quite serious to the public, or they're in someone's garage, shed or house," he said.The man who found the grenades is described as being about 5ft 10, aged in his 50s, with grey hair and wearing green trousers.
Insp Field reassured the person who had the grenades that they "would not be in trouble by the police".He told BBC Radio Hereford and Worcester it was "quite common" for hand grenades and other items to be discovered in canals or rivers."Our focus isn't around criminalising this person, they've made an error of judgement in my own personal opinion, we want to recover the items, make them safe to make sure there isn't a wider risk to the public," he added"I'd appeal to that person to come forward," he said.Anyone who sees the man is asked not to approach him and to call 999.
Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
An Airbnb in a war zone? Global holiday rental giant facing legal action over offering stays in 100s of homes in illegal Israeli settlements
Airbnb is facing serious legal heat as human rights groups demand the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA) launch a criminal investigation into the global rental giant over alleged money laundering links to Israeli settlements. According to a damning new complaint, Airbnb have breached UK anti-money laundering laws by listing more than 300 holiday rentals in illegal Israeli settlements across the West Bank and East Jerusalem - territories widely recognised as occupied under international law. The complaint, brought forward by the UK-based Global Legal Action Network (GLAN) and Palestinian rights organisation Al-Haq, was officially filed with the NCA on Tuesday. The groups accuse Airbnb's UK arm of handling profits from crimes committed under international law - namely, the ongoing occupation of Palestinian land. But Airbnb's operations in the region are no secret. In fact, the company appears on the United Nation's blacklist of companies involved in activities tied to Israeli settlements - areas the UN, and now the International Court of Justice (ICJ), have declared illegal. In a landmark ruling in July 2014, the ICJ stated Israel 's occupation of Palestinian territory is illegal under international law. The court further ruled that all states have a duty to end trade and investment that supports the occupation, a damning blow to any company still profiting from it. Yet, Airbnb appears to have continued to operate in these areas. Ashish Prashar, former UK senior advisor to the Middle East Peace Envoy and current a special advisor to GLAN on their Palestine Portfolio, told MailOnline: 'By bringing this case against Airbnb, what we're saying is that no one, no business, no company, no entity, should make profits from war crimes'. Ashish Prashar, former UK senior advisor to the Middle East Peace Envoy and current a special advisor to GLAN on their Palestine Portfolio, told MailOnline: 'By bringing this case against Airbnb, what we're saying is that no one, no business, no company, no entity, should make profits from war crimes'. As of 2023, there are currently over 300 listed properties up for rent in occupied territories which Al-Haq have displayed in a settlement watch infographic. Al-Haq's Forensic Architecture Investigation Unit (FAI) conducted an in-depth investigation into Airbnb listings located in illegal Israeli settlements within the occupied West Bank. 'This investigation uncovered how Israeli settlers exploit resources and infrastructure systematically denied to Palestinians, including by using accommodation platforms like Airbnb to sustain their illegal presence on stolen Palestinian land,' the organisation's website reads. But despite the unraveling controversy, Prashar claims as a business, Airbnb have a choice in who they carry out business with and are willingly choosing to rent out properties on 'stolen land' and with 'an entity that's being accused of genocide right now'. 'The fact that Airbnb are willing to continue the charade, are willing to continue to extract money from war crimes, says a lot about Brian Chesky (Airbnb's CEO), says a lot about the leadership of the company and says a lot about the board and everyone else who's responsible for these decisions,' he said. Echoing Prashar's concerns, Shawan Jabarin, general director of Al-Haq, said: 'At a time when we are witnessing genocide in Palestine, businesses like Airbnb are providing services that deny the Palestinian people their means of subsistence, threatening the viability of the group. 'Following the finding by the International Court of Justice, that Israel's occupation is illegal, business activities trading in goods and services that maintain the illegal occupation, must come to an end.' Despite earlier pledges, Airbnb has a patchy track record. In November 2018, following heavy criticism from Human Rights Watch, Airbnb promised to 'act responsibly' and remove all listings in illegal Israeli settlements. But less than six months later, in April 2019, the company quietly reversed its decision under legal pressure from Israeli hosts and US-based guests. It instead vowed to donate profits from Israeli settlement listings to humanitarian causes. An Airbnb spokesperson told MailOnline: 'Airbnb operates in compliance with applicable laws in Ireland, the UK, and the US. 'Since 2019, Airbnb has donated all profits generated from host activity in the West Bank to an international nonprofit, in line with our global framework on disputed territories'. Critics claim this is not good enough. 'By continuing to let out properties on behalf of Israelis, who illegally occupy on stolen land, or even in some cases stolen homes from Palestinians, [Airbnb] are supporting that occupation. Airbnb listing a property in the West Bank is a breach of that ruling. They're in breach of international law,' Prashar said. 'They are basically saying: "We're cool with the Palestinians being dominated because we're going to make a quick buck of it and donate some of the rest of the money",' he added. Zainah el-Haroun, a spokesperson for Al-Haq also said the donation 'misses the point entirely'. 'It is not enough to simply donate profits. Companies are morally and legally bound to ensure their activities do not support, maintain or benefit for Israel's unlawful occupation,' Haroun said. 'No charitable donation can undo the underlying human rights harms caused by facilitating any aspect of Israel's unlawful occupation.' Human rights lawyers have said the donations do not cleanse the company of criminal liability. 'These are the first ever cases to apply anti-money laundering legislation in the UK and elsewhere to business activity in the illegal Israeli settlements,' Gerry Liston, a senior lawyer at GLAN said. 'They demonstrate that senior executives of companies profiting from Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory risk prosecution for a very serious criminal offence'. Alongside the UK complaint, GLAN has filed a legal challenge in Ireland after police there refused to investigate Airbnb Ireland's role in facilitating listings in the settlements. GLAN has also sent a 'preservation letter' to Airbnb's parent company in the US - a key move under American legal procedures that could pave the way for discovery of internal documents. A spokesperson for the National Crime Agency declined to confirm whether it would investigate, telling Middle East Eye: 'The NCA does not routinely confirm or deny the existence of investigations.' In the Netherlands, a similar case led by the European Legal Support Center (ELSC) has also been brought against which like Airbnb lists properties in the illegal Israeli settlements. has been approached for comment. ELSC joined GLAN, Sadaka and AL-Haq at the launch of the complaint at a press conference in Dublin on June10, 2025. But with mounting legal pressure from coordinated actions across the UK, US, and Ireland, Airbnb's global business model is now under unprecedented scrutiny.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Schoolboy is fighting for his life after being hit by bus: Driver arrested
A schoolboy is fighting for his life after he was hit by a bus. The teenage student has been left with life-threatening issues following the crash on his way in to Queen Katherine Academy, Peterborough on Monday morning. The bus driver has been arrested on suspicion of causing serious injury by dangerous driving. Police officers and the East of England Ambulance Service, as well as a response car from the Magpas Air Ambulance, attended the scene of the collision near a Shell garage on the A15, before the boy was taken to Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge. A spokesperson for Cambridgeshire Police told Cambridge Live: 'We were called at about 8.20am today (23 June) with reports of a collision between a bus and a pedestrian on the A15 Werrington Parkway, Peterborough. 'Emergency services attended and the pedestrian has been taken to Addenbrooke's hospital with life-threatening injuries. 'The driver of the bus has been arrested on suspicion of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.' A spokesperson for Queen Katharine Academy said: 'We are shocked and saddened to learn that one of our students was seriously injured after they were hit by a bus near to the Shell Garage on the A15/Lincoln Road on their way to school this morning. 'They have been taken to hospital and are being treated for serious, life-threatening injuries. 'We are in close contact with them and their family. I know that our whole school community will be thinking of them and wishing them the very best. 'We know that students may have seen the incident take place. We have spoken to students today to make sure they know how to find support if they witnessed or have been affected by the incident.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Good Samaritan, 22, stabbed to death outside prayer centre 'while trying to break up a fight': Police still hunting killer
A Good Samaritan was stabbed to death outside a London prayer centre while trying to break up a fight, with police still hunting for the knifeman. 'Hero' 22-year-old restaurant manager Dara Sayed Barham stepped in as a 'mediator' when two men started fighting in Hanworth Road, Hounslow, near his eatery yesterday. Locals told how Dara tried to stop the brawl outside the Hounslow Muslim Centre in west London before being knifed three times. Police and paramedics swarmed the area at 2.21pm and found Dara with multiple stab wounds. He was rushed to hospital where he was later pronounced dead. Dara's best friend Kavan Soleman described him as the 'perfect citizen' who would 'help anyone and do anything for anyone'. 'The fight was nothing to do with him. But he was a perfect citizen, a hero who tried to come between them without worrying about himself, he was a peacemaker,' he told the Metro. 'I'm devastated he was such a good, hardworking person. He is Kurdish like me. His family are there. I'm going to the hospital as I live in London. I can't believe he has gone.' One witness said: 'It's so sad. He was only 22 and was trying to be a mediator in a fight that broke out between people outside the restaurant on the street. 'He was trying to break it up but got caught up in the fight.' Another witness said: 'He was not actually involved in the fight from the start but tried to get in between those who were, to try to stop them. 'Unfortunately, he was stabbed at least three times when he was the one trying to prevent any harm. 'There was so much blood on the street and there were so many people around..' Dara's next of kin have been informed, the Met said. An investigation is ongoing but no arrests have been made. Officers say there is nothing to suggest a link between the incident and Hounslow Muslim Centre. Detective Chief Inspector Wayne Jolley said: 'My thoughts are with the family and friends of the victim at this incredibly difficult time. 'This incident happened in a busy part of Hounslow during the middle of the afternoon. 'It's vital we hear from anyone who was in the area and witnessed the attack, the moments leading up to it, or the aftermath.'
