Steve Palfreyman, 67, was renovating his bungalow at the end of Penn Close in Taverham on Wednesday when he discovered the rusted device covered in dirt by the side of the house.
The former gardener, who bought the property last June from an elderly couple, said he initially thought it was a rock when he picked it up before realising it was a hand grenade.
Steve Palfreyman, 67, from Taverham (Image: Jack Warren)
He said: “It was unstable and anything could have happened.
“It is better to be safe than sorry, you do not know if they are active.
“It was really corroded and you couldn’t see the pin.
“But I did think it was unlikely to go off.
“I was clearing out the side of the house and had been moving rocks because I wanted to get a wheelbarrow through there.
The grenade found in the garden (Image: Submitted)
“I did not know what it was when I picked it up. I thought it was a rock and then I thought it looked remarkably like a hand grenade, so I put it down on the gravel.
“I was unsure so I called my daughter to get a second opinion. She asked her grandad who was in the RAF and he said it was a grenade.
“My daughter phoned the police.
“One of the police said it was an American grenade.”
The spot where steve found the grenade (Image: Jack Warren)
Within an hour of making the call, police had descended on the quiet cul-de-sac and closed the road at 2pm.
Neighbours were warned they might have to evacuate their homes and an exclusion zone was put around the bungalow.
The bomb squad were called in and made the device safe.
Emergency services left the road at 7.30pm.
A view of Penn Close in Taverham (Image: Jack Warren)
‘SHOCKED AND WORRIED’
Pensioner John Arthur, 78, who lives on Penn Close, described the incident as “dramatic”.
He said: “I had been to see my daughter. I came back at about five and the police told me I could walk down the road, but I could not drive down it.
“They were worried the vibrations might set it off.
“If it had gone off it probably would have broken a few windows.
“I was just trying to get home.
“On a road like this it is dramatic, you do not expect it.
John Arthur who lives on the road (Image: Jack Warren)
Jindo Thomas, 37, who also lives on the road with her family, said: “I was at work at the time and my friends who live nearby had told me about it.
“I was shocked and worried when I found out. I wanted to know what happened.
“We moved here recently.
“It is not the sort of thing you expect.”
Another woman who lives on the street but wished to remain anonymous said: “The road was closed off and police said they had to clear everyone out of their houses within 50 metres.
“But we did not have to leave in the end.”
She also described seeing the bomb squad descend on the street in a truck with chevrons on the back.
She added: “The bomb squad came and went over by torchlight and put it in a box and then took it away for a controlled explosion, I think.”
Tracey Lea (right) and her daughter Megan Brandish (Image: Jack Warren)
The bomb scare also forced a shop near the house to close.
Tracey Lea, 61, manager of the Break charity shop behind the bungalow, said: “It caused disruption.
“The staff had to shut the shop early.
“They got out as soon as they were told, just in case.
“It cost us a little bit of money.
“It is amazing it had not gone off in all that time.
“You do not know how many of these things are lying about.”
Bonnie-ray Wilson, owner of BeExtended (Image: Jack Warren)
Bonnie-Tay Wilson, 29, owner of BeExtended, a salon behind the property, added: “I am shocked to know there was a bomb around the corner from my business.
“I am glad that we were not affected and it’s all been resolved and everyone is safe.”
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