Man with Second World War mortar shells sparks bomb alert at Willenhall Police Station

Nov 17 2008 by Mike Bradley, Birmingham Mail

WILLENHALL town centre was brought to a standstill when a man discovered a hoard of Second World War mortar shells in his attic, sparking a full-scale bomb alert.

Gareth Woods, aged 28, prompted the panic after wandering into Willenhall Police Station with an armful of the shells, to ask officers if it would be legal to sell them on.

Officers immediately evacuated the John Street station, along with neighbouring streets, for three hours on Friday, amid fears the shells were live and could explode.

Bomb squad officers were called in to examine and dispose of the shells, which were found to be safe, and at around 4pm the cordons were lifted.

A shellshocked Gareth said that he’d originally taken the shells to a Wolverhampton antiques dealer to see if they had any value, but the antique dealer urged him to take them to the police station instead.

“I took them to the station, but when I got them out of my pocket, officers told me to put them down gently on the counter.”