A man showing his friends a hand grenade he bought at an antiques market caused his street to be evacuated by a bomb squad after he pulled the pin.



Army personnel sealed off Bixton Close in Northwick, Worcester, after the resident caused panic on Sunday evening (1/6).

He had bought the RG-42 from an antiques market over a year ago for £30 and didn't think it was a live device until he pulled the pin and it "started making a noise."

Officers set up a 100 metre cordon in the residential street before a bomb disposal unit arrived to take away the WW2 Soviet Union explosive device.

The man said he had been showing the item he bought in Malvern, Worcs., to a few friends when he pulled the pin and realised something was amiss.

He added: "I pulled the pin and it started making noises."

"I noticed something was wrong as soon as I released the safety pin and the spoon sprung off it immediately. "

"It made some sort of reaction similar to when a fire work fuse is ignited. It was a spilt second, I immediately threw this at the rear of the garden and evacuated the property and called the police."

"I was told to be minimum 100 meters away and try to alert neighbours. Police arrived within several minutes. "

"Around five police cars turned up and about 30 minutes after the RLC bomb squad arrived to investigate. "

"He firstly x-rayed the grenade to see if it still had its explosive content left."

"He's sure it was decommissioned but not certain, so he put it inside what looked to be a heavy-duty explosives box and told me he is going to dispose of it back at base. "

"This was brought last year August at Malvern antiques fair. "

"A few people were worried in the street. The area was locked for about three to four hours."

West Mercia Police, alongside an Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit, attended the scene at around 7pm.

A police spokesperson said: "Officers were called to Bixton Close in Worcester at around 7pm Sunday, June 1 following the discovery of a suspected hand grenade in a garden."

"As a precaution, a 100m cordon has been put in place and the area has been evacuated while we wait for experts from Explosive Ordnance Disposal to attend the scene."

"The EOD team x-rayed the grenade and found it was empty so there was no need for a controlled explosion."

The resident, who did not want to be named, said he "never intended to cause harm or distress" to anyone and was led to believe the item was deactivated when he purchased it. "

The Russian grenade, first designed by S. G. Korshunov, is a collectable for WW2 enthusiasts and is distinguishable by its cylindrical design.

It's design is said to be typical of many WW2 grenades finished in Soviet olive drab with metal silver lever and a wood fuse.