A BUILDER got the shock of his life when he realised he had been driven home with an unexploded bomb on his dashboard.
Leon Haynes was out in the fields near his home in Rugeley, Staffordshire earlier this week when he stumbled across a peculiar item.
The 30-year-old, upon closer inspection, realised that he’d found what appeared to be an artillery shell, and believing it was a dud, stuck it in his pocket and cycled back to his work van.
Builder Leon had in fact been carrying around a live WW1 hotchkiss 37mm pom pom artillery shell on his dashboard, completely unaware of the danger he was in.
Leon posted an image of the shell to social media earlier this week, writing: “Found this today, looks like some kind of tip from an artillery shell, was just wondering if anyone had any specifics?”
In the image, Leon’s hand is caked in dried mud, as he carries a large bronze-coloured artillery shell.
However, after posting to social media many people quickly advised him to get the shell out of his home before the worst could happen as it seemed clear it was still live.
After being given the advice, Leon went outside with a bucket of sand and left the First World War artefact out of harm’s way.
The responsible builder then contacted local police who met him in a secluded area and cordoned off the surrounding streets before calling in the army to dispose of the bomb.
Speaking today, Leon said: “I found a WW1 Hotchkiss Maxim 37mm pom pom artillery shell projectile.
“It was whilst I was out on a bike ride in Cannock Chase and thinking it was a solid tip I put it in my pocket and thought nothing of it while I rode back to my van.
“I then left it on the dashboard whilst I drove home, once I was home I posted a picture on Facebook to get a better idea of what it really was.
“There was a divided opinion with some thinking it was a solid tip and the others thinking it was live due to it having a brass baseplate and two pin holes on the bottom.
“After some advice I left it in a bucket of sand out of reach for the night until the next day when I could call the right people to have it disposed of properly.
“I was put in touch with local police and they came and met me in a secluded area and cordoned off the place.
“I left it with them as they called in the army for a safe disposal, I haven’t heard anything since so I presume it’s been dealt with accordingly.”
“I wasn’t too bothered about it – if it was going to blow up in my pocket it would have.
“It was more my concern for the safety of others and my girlfriend wasn’t too happy about me bringing it home once we had learnt what it was.
“If it was up to me I’d have kept it as I’m a bit of a magpie with stuff like that, I only normally find old bottles so I was kind of excited I found something this cool.”
There are estimated to be between 300,000 and 500,000 of unexploded ordnance throughout the United Kingdom from the First and Second World War.
