The Peterborough Evening Telegraph
UNEXPLODED WARTIME SHELL FOUND IN CITY SHOP
A shocked Peterborough business owner discovered that a Second World War mortar bomb he was storing in his loft was actually live.
The bomb disposal unit at RAF Wittering was called to Flav Cipriano’s store Nostalgia Lounge at Second Drove in Fengate on Sunday after the businessman realised the device he had bought a year ago was not spent ammunition.
The mortar was then taken to Wittering to be destroyed.
The owner of the vintage and retro store which opened in February said he bought the mortar bomb from one of the local 40s weekends a year ago assuming it had been exploded and no longer carried a threat, but now he is warning other people not to make the same mistake as he did.
He said: “I put the mortar bomb in a storage container then moved it into the loft in my building in February.
“I was getting new stock out and realised something was not right with it. My mate came round who said his suspicion was that it had not been activated.
“I rang the Ministry of Defence who said ring 999. I rang the police and they came and shut the area around the estate for about two to three hours. The bomb squad came and said it was live and took it to RAF Wittering.
“This time of year there a lot of trade fairs, market fairs and antique fairs. If you’re not an expert you really need to be careful what you buy.”
A spokesman for 5131 Bomb Disposal Squadron at RAF Wittering confirmed it had recovered a “World War Two incendiary”.
He added: “If members of the public find anything like this do not attempt to touch it, do not attempt to move it and call the police straight away.”
Police were called at about 2pm on Sunday. A spokesman said: “Nobody was evacuated as a result of the incident.”