All clear after ’bomb’ scare

Army experts were called to Newark Industrial Estate after a suspected wartime bomb was discovered.

They established it was a Naval artillery shell.

There were initial fears the shell, which was a foot down under a verge on Jessop Way, was a second world war bomb that failed to detonate after being dropped during the wartime raid on the Ransome and Marles ball-bearing factory in March, 1941.

It was found by a gardener at around 4pm on Wednesday at the boundary fence of Charles Lawrence Group Plc.

He notified the company’s production manager, Mr Bob Patton, who said: “I’ve never seen a bomb for real but I recognised it immediately from what I’d seen on the television. It was about a foot long and had a brass cap on the end.

“As the site is so close to Ransome and Marles I was worried it was a bomb that was aimed at the factory during the war and missed. I gather these things make their way to the surface over time.”

Mr Patton rang 999 and after inspecting the find police officers ordered an evacuation of the 15 workers on site and cordoned off the area

Officers from the Royal Logistics Corps bomb disposal team from Chetwynd Barracks, Chilwell, attended.

Sergeant Mark Sherburn, of Newark Police, said the bomb squad established it was a spent Royal Navy airburst shell used to light up the night sky at sea, and posed no risk.

“It appeared to be the real thing,” he said.

He said had it still been live it had the potential to cause serious injury or damage.

Sergeant Sherburn said the site was a former scrapyard. He said it was likely the shell was taken in as scrap but someone, fearing it posed a danger, had buried it in the ground.

The cordon was lifted at around 6.15pm, allowing the Charles Lawrence Group night shift to start work.

The managing director of Charles Lawrence Group, Mr Roger Hicks, said it was a relief the incident did not turn out to be more serious.

The shell was taken away by the bomb squad officers.