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Wartime bomb found at Battle of Britain Memorial in New Dover Road, Capel Le Ferne

16:14, 14 November 2019

updated: 17:11, 14 November 2019

A controlled explosion was carried out this afternoon following the discovery of a Second World War hand grenade.

The device was found at the Battle of Britain Memorial in Capel Le Ferne, near Folkestone, during routine maintenance.

The Battle of Britain Memorial, in Capel Le Ferne
The Battle of Britain Memorial, in Capel Le Ferne

Workers uncovered the 'suspicious' object while installing new gates at the memorial, before calling in emergency teams.

Kent Police and the army's Explosive Ordnance Disposal team attended the site at 1.45pm and erected a cordon around the item as a 'precaution'.

It has now been identified as a Mills 36 anti-personnel bomb, which is a World War Two British hand grenade.

The item was destroyed on site by a controlled explosion.

The Memorial closed for a short period this afternoon to visitors while teams were on site.

The memorial is a monument to aircrew who flew in the Battle of Britain
The memorial is a monument to aircrew who flew in the Battle of Britain

An army spokesman said: "We can confirm that during routine maintenance a suspicious object was uncovered at the Capel Le Ferne Battle of Britain Memorial site.

"An Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal team were called at approximately 1.45pm and identified the object as a Mills 36 anti-personnel bomb (World War Two British hand grenade).

"The item was destroyed on site by controlled explosion."

Read more: All the latest news from Folkestone

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