WWI Shell Found in Oxford Garden

IMG_5785.JPG.gallery-300x225Several houses were evacuated in Oxford after a suspected WWI artillery shell was unearthed in a back garden.  A 50m safety cordon was put in place around properties in Mill Street after a local resident found the item whilst digging up an old tree stump.

An Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team arrived and removed the device for a controlled detonation nearby.

The origin of the 30cm-long shell is not clear, with the properties on Mill Street having been occupied since the 19th century.  It is possible that the shell was brought home by a former resident who then decided that it was perhaps unwise to keep such an item indoors.

See: http://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/14508687.UPDATE__Live_WW1_shell_unearthed_by_Oxford_gardener_detonated_by_bomb_squad/