WATCH: Frag grenade explodes next to Dorset river
Bomb squads were called to the field next to the Kings Arms in Blandford yesterday.
Last updated 31st Jan 2022
A crater can still be seen in a Blandford field after bomb squads were called yesterday afternoon.
Members of the Dorset Metal Fishing group feared the unexploded fragmentation grenade could have blown up at any moment.
Bomb squads were called to the River Stour yesterday afternoon.
Grant Osborne fished it out of the river. He said:
"I was in shock for a moment but in that scenario, I was the one who brought it up, I was responsible for it, so I had to take the appropriate actions.
"Immediately my hands started shaking and I thought 'Okay, we need to take care of this very quickly.
"The protocol was to keep it in a bucket of water and keep it in the same conditions it was found in. It had been in that state for around 100 years so you want to keep it in water because if you take it out of water the pressure changes."
When frag grenades explode, tiny shards of metal are propelled through the air injuring anyone in a close radius.
Video filmed by the group shows the moment it exploded in a controlled detonation.
Grant said:
"It was better me finding it than some kid finding it. The river floods very frequently in the winter so it's better I pulled it up than some kid, or a dog, or got chewed up by a lawnmower."
The device found in the River Stour yesterday is the second been found in one of Dorset's waterways this month.
A police spokesperson said:
"We received a report at 1pm on Sunday 30 January 2022 that a suspected grenade had been found in a river in the area of West Street in Blandford.
"Officers attended and cordon was put in place for the safety of members of the public. Explosive Ordnance Disposal experts attended and carried out a controlled detonation.
"Officers left the scene shortly after 4.30pm."