Isle of Wight holiday park evacuated after guest brings 'hand grenade he mistook for fossil'
A Royal Navy bomb disposal team was called to the Whitecliff Bay Holiday Park in Bembridge and carried out a controlled explosion.
Friday 23 August 2019 14:30, UK
A holiday resort on the Isle of Wight was evacuated when a guest brought back an "old hand grenade" he found after reportedly thinking it was a fossil.
A Royal Navy bomb disposal team was called to the Whitecliff Bay centre in Bembridge following the discovery on Thursday night.
Local media reported that the guest found the device on a beach and carried it back to the caravan he was sharing with his family, thinking it was a fossil.
Away Resorts Management (ARM), which runs the holiday park, said the "old hand grenade" was retrieved by the bomb disposal team and guests were moved to a safe area while a controlled explosion was carried out.
A spokesperson said: "At 10.30pm the family realised what the device was and immediately called the police who attended.
"Guests were moved to a safe area of the park and a controlled explosion of the device was carried out by the Royal Navy Bomb Disposal Unit, on the beach, at first light.
"The park and beach are now open as usual and the family is looking forward to continuing their holiday."
In a statement, Hampshire Police said: "The holiday park was evacuated after a member of the public found a grenade on a beach.
"Explosive Ordnance Disposal dealt with the grenade."