WW2 mortar found in shed in Cambridgeshire

A home and roads surrounding it in Hartford near Huntingdon had to be evacuated for around three hours

Craig McPherson found the mortar in his uncle's shed
Author: Jonny FreemanPublished 8th Jul 2023

A home and surrounding roads were evacuated for around three hours after a mortar dating back to World War Two was found in a shed at a home in Cambridgeshire.

The alarm was first raised in Hartford near Huntingdon at 12.15pm this afternoon.

Cambridgeshire Police's local Huntingdon team posted this message on social media.

Bomb disposal experts and other specialist teams rushed to the scene to make sure the device was safe to move and be taken elsewhere.

Our reporter Dan Mason was at the scene for us and spoke to Craig McPherson, who made the discovery.

Craig said: "We were clearing my uncle's shed and we discovered it today.

"He sadly died in February so we'd brought in a skip and bags to clear out his shed and then found it.

"We immediately thought we need to call the police - and they then told us it's likely to be live."

A cordon was in place in Mayfield Road and surrounding streets for a time

Dan asked Craig how it felt to have stumbled across a piece of history.

Craig replied: "We had a piece of history but I'm grateful that when I trod on it, it didn't go off!"

Cambridgeshire Police have thanked the public for their patience and understanding during the operation to take the device away and to safety.

For more information watch our reporter Dan Mason's video report from the scene.

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