Dad's shock after son finds grenade in Mansfield park

Liam Bools, 41, said his eight-year-old son Theo called him about what he suspected was a grenade in Berry Hill Park, Mansfield, after playing at the park with a neighbour.

Police officers and the Ministry of Defence's bomb squad were called to the scene and cordoned off the area while an investigation took place.

Liam, from South Normanton, Derbyshire, said he was “stupefied” by what his son had found.

He said: “Our son went out with the neighbour, they were playing a little American football and it went into the hedge bottom.

“Our son is quite inquisitive and always right, so he started digging and telling the neighbour it was a grenade and then my neighbour decided to ring the police.

"We were in Tesco, just doing some shopping, when I got a call saying they had some 'news' – I thought there had been an accident or something.

“Theo was far more excited than frightened by his discovery.”

A spokesman from Nottinghamshire Police told Nottinghamshire Live: “The object seemed to be a small and old grenade” but the device had “no explosive element”.

This prompted officers to believe it was either a dummy or an ornament.

No controlled explosion was required and the object was removed by the Ministry of Defence.

Nottinghamshire Police assured residents there was no risk to the public.