Artillery Fuzes Brought Home by Metal Detectorist Safely Disposed

Rivington, United Kingdom A controlled explosion has been carried out after two 80-year-old artillery shells were found in Rivington. A man reportedly came across the items while out with his metal detector and transported them to his home in Leigh.

After realizing the items could be dangerous, he notified emergency services, and a bomb squad and police firefighters from Leigh responded to transport the ordnance, identified as WWII artillery fuzes, to Pennington Flash country park for controlled detonation.

A crew from Leigh fire station 3 used a drone with a thermal imaging camera to ensure that there were no members of the public nearby and to secure the area while the historic devices were buried and then blown up.

Watch manager Steve Waygood said, "It was a good sized bang when it exploded. They heard it at the station and in Lowton."