WORKMEN had a lucky escape after they unearthed a live grenade while digging up a back garden.

Mr Alan Watson, his son Jason and Mr Alan O'Neil were digging up a garden ready for a new patio at a home in West Common Way, Harpenden, on Friday when they came across a large chunk of metal.

Mr Watson, foreman of the group who work for Robert Field Landscapes, based in Hemel Hempstead, said: "We had got about a foot down when we found this lump of rusty metal. We rolled it out and got it on the slabs and then I bounced it off the slabs twice to get the dirt off before I realised what it was. It still had the pin in it as well."

He called police who came out and inspected the grenade and then called the bomb disposal unit at Northaw, which confirmed it was a live, type 5 grenade and took it away to Harpenden Rugby Club in nearby Redbourn Lane to carry out a controlled explosion.

Mr Watson, 54, said: "They dug a small hole and attached a piece of TNT to the grenade. Then from about 250 yards away I had the pleasure of pushing the button to detonate it. It was a pretty loud bang and Jason and Alan said they could feel the vibrations as they stood watching in the grandstand."

"The bomb disposal unit also gave me a fragment of the grenade and called me lucky after I told them I had bounced it on the slabs."

After exploding the grenade the bomb disposal unit carried out a further search of the garden after telling Mr Watson they usually come in two's. However, they gave the garden the all clear and the trio returned to work.

The group had been working on the garden for five days when they made the discovery. Homeowners Geoff and Pat Peasland were at work when the incident happened.

Mrs Peasland said: "It was quite amazing really because it was found in the vegetable patch and my husband has been turning over that piece of the garden for the last 20 years."

July 4, 2002 10:00