Controlled explosion carried out by bomb squad after kayaker finds grenade in River Cam in Cambridge

A controlled explosion was carried out by bomb disposal experts after a grenade was found in the River Cam by a kayaker.

Richard Leech was magnet fishing in a kayak near Trinity College in Cambridge on Saturday (March 6) when he picked up the grenade.

Police said: “We were called at 12.06pm with reports of a grenade being found in the river near The Avenue, Cambridge.

“Police attended and the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) were called, who attended and carried out a controlled explosion of the device.”

In July 2020, teenager Aaron Howlett also discovered a grenade while magnet fishing in the Cam. He discovered the device as he walked across the footbridge at Coe Fen.

And in 2017, 194 small grenades from the Second World War were found during construction work on the Ice Arena in Cambridge, causing a delay to the project.

Last week, the Cambridge Independent reported how a 17-year-old metal detectorist has uncovered a dummy anti-tank landmine, used to train soldiers, while surveying woodlands near the Imperial War Museum in Duxford.

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