WWII grenades found near Gatwick Airport

AIR and rail travel was halted this morning after workers found ‘unexploded devices’ near Gatwick Airport.

By The Newsroom

Published 13th Oct 2011, 17:55 BST

Police were called to a building site by the Gatwick South Terminal at 10.50am (Thursday October 13).

A cordon was quickly set up before the Military Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team arrived.

Five potentially deadly World War II devices were identified - three hand grenades, one four inch mortar and a smoke grenade.

Police say the weapons ‘had apparently been unearthed over recent weeks and stored in a metal container before police were called today’.

The EOD team carried out a controlled explosion on all the objects at 1.20pm.

Air and train arrivals and departures - including Southern Rail - were suspended for 15 minutes as a precaution when the explosion took place.

A spokesperson for Sussex Police said: “There was no damage or injury and the incident is now closed.”