Pensioners with grenade cause shopping mall chaos

Two pensioners caused a lockdown at a shopping mall after bringing a hand grenade to a police station. Picture: Justin Spittle

The mall, in Washington, Tyne and Wear, was cordoned off along with the car park and part of the road outside the adjacent police station, after the pair arrived at 10:50am yesterday.

They walked into the station and said they had a hand grenade in the boot of their car.

Officers called in army bomb disposal experts, who took the grenade from the couple’s car and carried out a controlled explosion in a nearby field.

The car was then returned to the couple, who are said to be “embarrassed” about the incident.

A Northumbria Police spokesman said: “At 10:51am an elderly couple attended Washington Police Station to hand in a number of items to police.

“One of those was believed to be an old hand grenade, recovered from an address. It was in the boot of the couple’s car parked outside the police station.

“Officers inspected the item and an area of car park outside Washington Police Station and a small section of road was cordoned off.

“The Explosive Ordnance Disposal attended and took the grenade away and carried out a controlled explosion. All cordons have been lifted.”