A 'bewildered' homeowner got the shock of his life when he discovered a suspected World War II bomb in his back garden.
The man, who wishes to just go by his first name of John, stumbled across the device while renovating his home in Swinton.
He had hired a team of builders to dig up his garden and load up a skip with rubbish.
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John told the Manchester Evening News: "While they were digging to scoop it into the wheelbarrow they found what appeared to be a World War II ordinate.
"I prodded it a bit, but it's not something that happens every day so you don't know what to do.
"I called 999 and they took it pretty seriously.
"The police came down with someone who was able to say if it was a bomb or not.
"The next thing they cordoned off from the roundabout up to about 12 to 15 doors up the road and brought in the bomb squad to get rid of it.
"They came down in military gear. At one point there was a ton of police and cars.
"We were evacuated and it took a couple of hours."
The incident happened in Bolton Road on February 4.
John, a marketing consultant who lives at the property alone, says he has had a few runs of bad luck and had emergency spinal surgery last year, due to a childhood incident.
He said: "I was told I would never walk again, and if I was lucky in a year and a half I would be able to transfer from a wheelchair to the couch.
"But I have recovered pretty well and I am walking.
"It's just been a series of things and it's just what's the odds of finding a bomb in your garden - it's like 'just my luck'".
"It's from so many decades ago - if the wind had blown slightly differently it wouldn't be there, but it was.
"No surprise it's happened to me."
The bomb is now safely disposed of and John has gone back to renovating his property.
Greater Manchester Police said: "On Friday 4 February 2022, police were called to reports of a suspicious item on Bolton Road, Swinton.
"EOD attended and road closures were put in place
"Following assessment it is confirmed that the item is not suspicious."
