Ditchling Beacon in Sussex near where the bomb was discovered (Picture: Getty Images)
A controlled explosion had to be carried out after a couple found an unexploded bomb metres from the path at a beauty spot in Sussex.
Jordan Morris and Caitlin Horrex spotted it poking out of the soil on the South Downs Way and alerted police yesterday.
‘It was pretty shocking. It was quite close to the path and a cyclist could have gone over it if they were trying to overtake people,’ Caitlin told local paper The Argus.
‘There was a mixture of excitement at finding it but also the realisation that it’s pretty deadly and it could have exploded at any minute.’
They had been looking for ancient flint arrowheads, and initially thought it could be that before realising it was something much more deadly.
The bomb was ‘about the size of your forearm’, Jordan told the paper.
He and Caitlin had been staying at the Housedean Farm campsite next to the A27 near Falmer after travelling from London.
Sussex Police say they attended the incident yesterday and, after finding the device, destroyed it in a controlled explosion.
A Sussex Police spokeswoman said: ‘Police received a report at 2.30pm yesterday that a suspected unexploded shell had been located in a field on the South Downs Way, near Balmer Farm.
‘The area was cordoned off while the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team safely detonated the item.’
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