Metal Detector Group's Find Sparks School Closures and EOD Response

Invergordon, Scotland A group of metal detectorists set off a series of emergency responses after finding a UXO near a school. The discovery was made at a former air raid shelter and led to homes being evacuated and three schools in Invergordon in the Highlands being closed as a precaution.

Ryan Junor and his son Shay were part of a group searching for old artifacts when they made the shocking discovery. "We certainly weren't looking for bombs," he said.

Officials set up a cordon around the device, and Royal Navy EOD responded to safely removed the ordnance to a military site for disposal. A spokesman said it was believed to be a WWI-era mortar.

Junor said, "We were only looking for coins, bits and bobs. Invergordon is littered with artifacts. It was my first time doing it. We went up to the old bomb shelter in Invergordon and we quickly came across something, dug round it and we took it and took some photos of it."

"We didn't know what it was, it looked like an old heavy bottle, maybe an old shell. I posted some pictures onto a metal detecting page on Facebook and then quickly people were replying back telling us it was perhaps a Stokes Mortar bomb and just to leave it and contact the police."

Invergordon is on a shore of the Cromarty Firth, which served as an anchorage for the Royal Navy before, during and after WWI. The surrounding area was used for training troops during the war, and the firth was defended during WWII.