Drama as Second World War bomb is dug up in Taunton garden

Home owner Steve Church caused a minor panic after he dug up the incendiary device while doing some work in the garden during his holiday.

Steve immediately alerted the police, who in turn called out the Royal Logistics Corps bomb disposal unit.

Fortunately the bomb turned out to no longer be live and Steve now plans to include it as a feature in his garden – but not until his son has taken it to school as part of a project on the conflict.

“It was quite an ordeal,” said Steve, of Obridge Lane.

“I was doing a bit of landscaping with a mini digger and dug up the bomb, which had split in two.

“I didn’t know what it was at first, but when I picked up one end, I thought, ‘It looks like a bomb’.

“The police came and originally wanted to cordon off a 100-metre area, but decided, because that would have disrupted trains on the nearby track, to get me to put the digger on top of the bomb until the bomb disposal team arrived as it was likely to be inert.”

The bomb squad confirmed the device was no longer active as the explosive material had all seeped out.

Steve now plans to incorporate the bomb as a garden feature.

“But first my son, Oliver (aged seven) wants to take it to school as he’s been doing a project on the Second World War – I’ll have to let his head teacher know before, of course!” said Steve.

“The bomb disposal people advised me to keep an eye out for any more bombs as I continue doing the landscape work – just in case.”

Police confirmed they attended the incident, but an Army spokeswoman declined to comment.