A gardener who unearthed a live grenade in his back garden has described his brush with death admitting he was "quite lucky".
Lucky - Lee Farrow and Martin Dunne re-live the moment when they found a live grenade in the garden. Picture: ROB SAMBROOK (40563-3)
The drama happened as antiques dealer Lee Farrow, 34, was digging outside his home in Colchester Road, Chappel, with the help of his friend Martin Dunne, 44.
Mr Farrow said: "We were using a pickaxe to loosen the soil when it rolled out in a Dad's Army-type way and stopped at Martin's foot. We've both got experience in antiques and came to the decision that it was a hand grenade.
"I picked it up on the end of a shovel and I was wondering what to do with it when I realised it didn't have a pin."
At that point, he phoned the police, who sent out officers and called in an Army bomb disposal team.
Mr Farrow said: "They looked at it and identified it as a live grenade then took it away and activated it at the bottom of a field by the River Colne.
"There was a huge bang. I felt the vibrations from it. We were a bit wary for the rest of the day but we carried on digging because we had a job to do."
More in today's Evening Gazette
Published Tuesday, January 18, 2005
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article