A schoolboy caught more than he bargained for when magnet fishing after snagging a suspected mortar shell from a local river.
Ten-year-old Jensen Sudron was with his dad Gary when he pulled out the deadly find from a stream in the Middlesbrough suburb of Grangetown. They didn’t realise what they had caught until Gary showed it to his workmates who told him it was a bomb, reports Teesside Live.
He immediately called the police and officers quickly arrived to the Birchington Avenue of Grangetown on Monday (August 8) and evacuated the street and cordoned off the area. The road was closed and a large cordon was put in place blocking access.
Of his amazing find, Jenson said: “We pulled this thing out that was really heavy and we didn’t know what it was. My dad took it to work to ask his friends what it was and people were saying it was a bomb.
“Police closed down the road and all the shops for our safety. Everybody got evacuated out their houses.
“We’re waiting for the bomb squad. When the police arrived we got all nervous because we didn’t know what to expect.”
“In the past we have found shopping trolleys, bikes and a lot of other stuff that you wouldn’t expect to find.”
A Cleveland Police spokesperson said at the time: “Officers are currently in Birchington Avenue after a resident reported they’d found what they believed could be a mortar shell. As a precautionary measure, some adjacent properties have been evacuated and a temporary road closure has been put in place while police await information on the exact nature of the item – as well as any further advice – from explosives experts.
“We would like to thank any residents and motorists affected for their co-cooperation and patience while we work to bring the situation to a safe conclusion.”
The road was reopened around 2.40pm.
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