Bomb squad explodes live WW1 device donated to Norfolk charity

The device was moved to a nearby farmer's field and an explosion was carried out

A live World War One device has been blown up in a controlled explosion after being donated to a charity shop.

It was found among items at the Priscilla Bacon Hospice warehouse near Norwich and identified by a specialist.

Staff were evacuated from the area on Thursday and the bomb squad arrived to remove the live "British WW1 fuse" and blow it up in a nearby farmer's field.

The charity said: "We're normally grateful for all donations, but this was more than we bargained for."

Volunteers sorting through donations at the Drayton warehouse came across the unusual item, and a photograph was sent to a specialist in militaria.

"The expert came back with great haste," said Hugo Stevenson, head of Priscilla Bacon Hospice operations and fundraising.

"He sent an urgent message to the charity stating the item was a fuse section from an artillery shell, which appeared to be a live explosive and could be potentially volatile as it was over 100 years old.

"He said it was the fuse section of an artillery shell - the nose cone - that explodes first."

An expert identified the item as potentially "volatile"

Staff were moved a safe distance away, roads were closed, and the Army bomb squad from Colchester, in Essex, arrived.

They moved the ordnance to a farmer's field where a controlled explosion was carried out.

"The scale of the subsequent controlled explosion indicated that the shell had indeed been live," Mr Stevenson said.

In a video taken by a member of the hospice staff, the explosion can be heard, followed by a member of the Army team saying: "That shows us it was live."

A label on the ordnance indicated it was from Thiepval, during the Battle of the Somme

An Army spokesperson said: "An Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal team from 621 Squadron in Colchester responded to an incident in Low Road in Drayton, Norfolk, on 7th July 2022, at the request of Norfolk Police.

"The team identified a British WWI fuse which was safely removed and destroyed."

Norfolk Police confirmed officers closed off Low Road in Drayton at about 11:30 BST on Thursday and reopened the road at 16:15.