It’s not a shell; it’s a grenade! A 7-year-old girl triggers
an alert after discovering a WWII explosive on the beach… which she brought home in her bucket
an alert after discovering a WWII explosive on the beach… which she brought home in her bucketWhen a young girl decided to go beachcombing, she unexpectedly returned home with a live hand grenade from the Second World War.
After Cody Potter, only seven years old, brought the unexploded bomb home in her bucket without informing her parents, a bomb squad was summoned.
Colin, Cody’s father, recognized the potential danger when she showed him the grenade the next day and immediately contacted the police.
The Newbiggin-by-the-Sea neighborhood in Northumberland had to be evacuated as experts conducted a controlled detonation.
Mr. Potter, aged 39, remarked, “Upon informing them what it was, they instructed us to leave the house and steer clear of the windows.
The entire neighborhood was evacuated. We consider ourselves fortunate because it could have killed her.
If it had detonated, it would have destroyed her.”
Before calling the authorities, Mr. Potter placed the live grenade behind his shed, as far from the house as he could.
He mentioned that Cody often gathered seashells and stones to place in her bucket.
“She picked up something that she assumed was just a rock; it resembled a turtle,” he said.
“Then the following day, she took it out and showed us, asking: ‘What do you think of this?’ Upon seeing it, my stomach dropped. I moved it behind the shed and contacted the police.”
Officers, along with Army bomb squad specialists, cordoned off the area around 10:15 am yesterday, leading to a controlled explosion on the beach.
A 30-year-old neighbor stated, “It was chaotic; police were everywhere—too many to count. I think they even had a helicopter out. I was just leaving with my kids when they instructed everyone to move away from the houses and windows.”
Northumbria Police are urging beachgoers to stay alert after the device was officially recognized as a WWII hand grenade.
Supt Debbie Ford from Northumberland area command cautioned, “Grenades and similar objects may occasionally wash ashore along the Northumberland coastline or be discovered when clearing out residences, attics, or sheds.
Even if they seem harmless due to their age or condition, it’s crucial for the public to react appropriately.
If anyone encounters a device that resembles a grenade or something akin, please do not touch or handle it. Leave the items exactly where you found them and move to a safe distance.”
