Bombshell for gardener who finds unexploded device while digging

A quiet afternoon of gardening ended with the bomb squad being called to a house in Cork City at the weekend.

A homeowner in the Turner’s Cross area got more than they bargained for when they unearthed an old artillery shell while digging in their garden.

Army officers praised the homeowner for alerting the authorities immediately, and for taking the right steps.

“This person followed the correct procedure,” a senior army officer said.

“When they noticed the shell, they left it alone, they didn’t move it, and they alerted the authorities and left it up to us to remove it carefully.

“This is exactly what we recommend everyone does in these kinds of circumstances.

“If there is any concern, or any doubt whatsoever about any kind of device, we would recommend that people would not touch, examine or move the device, withdraw from the immediate area, and contact the gardaí, who will, in turn, if needed, contact us.”

Someone gardening in #Cork today dug up more than they bargained for https://t.co/dQyxVtZWMD

— Eoin English (@EoinBearla) August 8, 2015

The alarm was raised around lunchtime on Saturday, when the gardener unearthed the historic munition while digging in their garden.

Gardaí arrived at the house and, following an initial inspection of the scene, requested the services of an army bomb-disposal team, before sealing off the immediate area.

The Defence Forces deployed the Explosive Ordnance Disposal team from Collins Barracks to deal with the situation.

The team arrived on scene at 2.55pm and an ordnance officer was sent in to the garden to examine the shell.

However, it was soon apparent that it posed no immediate risk to public health and it was rendered safe at the scene.

It was described, last night, as an old, encrusted artillery shell, which was part of an historic munition.

However, it was not clear whether it dated from the First or Second World War.

The shell was removed to a secure military location, where it is due to be destroyed today.

The scene at Turner’s Cross was declared safe at 3.29pm.