62 Self-Igniting Phosphorus Grenades Found in Northamptonshire Garden

Roads were closed and around 20 properties evacuated after the discovery of 62No. Self-Igniting Phosphorus (SIP) grenades in a garden in Quinton, Northamptonshire.

The grenades – a staple of the Home Guard during World War Two – were found buried in a residential property and required a multi-agency response.

Comprising glass jars (often milk bottles), SIP grenades are filled with white phosphorus, benzine, water and crude rubber. They were a ‘home-made’ weapon introduced as an emergency anti-tank measure for the Home Guard.

Caches of SIP grenades are still regularly found and the breaking of the glass bottles often results in the white phosphorus setting alight as it is exposed to air.