BOMB disposal experts were called to a Kidderminster house after a workman hammering away at concrete concealing an unexploded grenade raised the alarm.

The device was found at 10.30am last Friday in the garden of a house in Bruce Road.

Police closed the road while the grenade was examined and residents were told to lock their windows and stay indoors.

Twelve police officers were called to the scene and a Wyre Forest District Council vehicle was on standby with sandbags.

The grenade, which was believed to have dated back to the Second World War, was declared safe by the bomb disposal team after it was X-rayed.

House owner, Peter Bylett, who served in the RAF for 24 years, said: "One of the workers found the grenade and it came as a bit of a surprise.

"He had been breaking the concrete block that it was discovered under with a sledgehammer for about 15 minutes so he was quite lucky."

Mr Bylett, who is chairman of the Kidderminster branch of Worcestershire Association for the Blind, quickly realised the danger and sounded the alarm because of his RAF training.

Police spokeswoman, Becky Procter, said: "The bomb disposal squad examined the grenade and found it to be safe. It was then taken away and a search for other devices was carried out in the immediate area."