‘Unexploded bomb’ turns out to be old fence post

A VILLAGE was evacuated after an old fence post unearthed by a gardener was mistaken for an unexploded bomb.

Hundreds of residents in Godolphin Cross near Helston, Cornwall, were ordered to leave their homes as a 200m cordon was set up after the suspect device was found in a garden near the village primary school.

Bomb disposal experts from the Royal Navy were deployed to the village on Saturday but were later stood down when the object was found to be an old fence post.

Jamie Ashley said he was planning an afternoon watching Liverpool play Manchester City in the Community Shield final when he received a knock on the door from the police.

“I was just about to start the game when my partner and I were told by a police officer that we had to get out of the house straight away,” he told Cornwall Live.

“Everyone had been told to go to Carleen village hall, but I opted to go to Helston for a curry and sit it out instead. It was a bit of a shock and I missed out on the football, but that’s what it is.

“My partner and I grabbed our coats and left. Just as we were leaving, the police said the bomb squad was on its way.

“Hopefully we’ll be back home soon.” A Devon and Cornwall Police spokesman said: “The bomb squad was called and they came to assess the situation. In the end it turned out to be a fence post. Better safe than sorry.”

‘It was a bit of a shock, and I missed out on watching the football game, but that’s what it is’

Residents who had taken refuge in the village hall were allowed back to their homes by 6.20pm.

Godolphin Cross was previously in the headlines in 2017 when its village hall was saved by a gift from Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Emir of Dubai, after villagers revealed the link between their village and Francis Godolphin, 2nd Earl of Godolphin, who bred from the legendary Godolphin Arabian horse.

The Sheikh is head of the global Godolphin horse racing empire.