A controlled explosion had to be done because a couple found a bomb that did not explode a few meters from the trail at a beautiful location in Sussex.
Jordan Yesterday, Morris and Caitlin Horrex saw it sticking out of the ground on the South Downs Way and informed the police.
‘It was quite surprising. It was very near the trail and a cyclist could have gone over it while overtaking people,’ Caitlin told the local paper The Argus.
‘We were a bit excited to find it, but also realized that it’s very dangerous and could have exploded at any moment.’
They were searching for old flint arrowheads and initially thought it could be one before realizing it was something much more dangerous.
The bomb was ‘about the size of your forearm,’ Jordan told the paper.
They had been staying at the Housedean Farm campsite near the A27 close to Falmer after traveling from London.
Sussex Police say they dealt with the incident yesterday and, after finding the device, destroyed it in a controlled explosion.
A spokesperson for the Sussex Police said: ‘At 2.30pm yesterday, the police were informed that a suspected unexploded shell had been found in a field on the South Downs Way, near Balmer Farm.
‘The area was closed off while the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team safely detonated the item.’
