Two litter pickers loaded a live First World War bomb into their car, thinking it was just an old gas canister.
Rachel Wills and Simon Briscombe were doing their usual Monday riverside litter-pick when they found the rusty cylinder. They put it in their car with other rubbish and drove home – over speed bumps – unaware of the danger.
Only when they scraped the mud off at home half a mile away did they realise the peril. Rachel said: “It was frothing.
“The shell was bubbling. It was strange and frightening.”
The couple snapped a quick photo then wrapped the bomb in sandbags and called emergency services.
They and around 30 neighbours were evacuated while a 100-metre cordon was put in place in their street in Knaresborough, North Yorkshire.
An Army explosive ordnance disposal team safely detonated the device.
Rachel, who owns the Watermill Cafe on the bank of the River Nidd, where she found the bomb, said: “We had a narrow escape.
“We’ve found some really strange things, including a sewing machine from 1898, trolleys, money, shoes.
“But I can’t believe we found what we found and it was live.
“Imagine if children had found it... unthinkable.”
She suspects recent flooding dislodged the bomb and added she had been “tired, shocked and teary” since seeing it explode on Monday.
Police said anyone who finds what could be a bomb should leave it in place without touching it, move at least 50 metres away and call 101.
North Yorkshire Police said: “Thankfully, the EOD were able to dispose of the object, and the incident was brought to a safe conclusion. Thank you to residents in the local area for their patience whilst we dealt with the incident.”
