Second World War grenade discovered at Edinburgh University

Published on Wednesday 19 May 2010 11:38

INVESTIGATIONS are continuing today after a city street was evacuated for hours when a live Second World War grenade was found by a janitor cleaning out a cupboard.

The grenade, complete with its pin, was discovered yesterday in an Edinburgh University building on Buccleuch Place when a group of builders started work on redecorating the basement.

A stunned worker stumbled across the bomb lying in a box in a cupboard under the stairs of the Careers Advisory office. The discovery sparked a major police operation, which resulted in an evacuation of the building and surrounding homes and businesses.

The street was cordoned off from just after 11am and a bomb disposal unit was quickly on the scene. The device turned out to be inactive, leading the ten-strong squad to take it away to be investigated.

In a bizarre coincidence, the operation followed another grenade scare just hours earlier. On Monday evening it was reported that a live grenade had been found in a flat in Spottiswoode Gardens, Livingston.

The bomb disposal unit later said that the device was an imitation – reportedly a toy grenade. It was thrown from the home on to a nearby roundabout and the street was cordoned off for an hour while bomb disposal experts investigated.

Adam Conn, chief security officer at Edinburgh University, said: "It's certainly not something you see every day. Usually I deal with suspicious people hanging around in places they shouldn't be, not grenades.

"We've no idea how long the grenade has been there, but you can't take a chance with these things."

Jeff Turnbull, assistant director of estates at the university, added: "It was a new experience for us but we did what we needed to do and stuck to procedure. The block was evacuated as a safety precaution."

Construction worker Gary McDonald, 28, said he had been working with his team when they were told there might be a bomb in the building.

He said: "We were putting scaffolding up on the buildings when we were told to stop and get away from that building.

"A lot of police cars arrived and cordoned off the street while the bomb squad went in.

"We didn't know if it was real or not so we were worried about what might happen."

Another builder added: "It was a bit of a shock. One minute you're getting on with your work and the next you're standing behind a police ribbon. You don't come across a bomb every day."

A police spokesman said: "Police were called to a property in Buccleuch Place, Edinburgh at around 11:25am yesterday after contractors discovered what they believed to be a hand grenade within the building.

"A cordon was set up in the street, and the building was evacuated for a short time.

"Explosive Ordinance Disposal attended and took the item, which is not thought to be a live device, for destruction."

Of the first grenade scare, they said: "Officers attended at around 6:30pm on 17 May at Spottiswoode Gardens after a call from a male. Inquiries quickly established that it was an imitation."