RIDDLE OF 'BOMB' FOUND CLOSE to NURSERY SCHOOL

A workman clearing the land in St Andrew's Road off Saltway, Droitwich found the explosive at around 4pm on Wednesday. Within minutes, police had arrived and set up a 100-metre exclusion zone around the metal object and evacuated at least 17 staff from Computing Solutions Ltd - whose land the device was found on - and adjoining offices. Rush-hour traffic was diverted while the object was examined before finally being taken away by bomb disposal experts at 5.50pm on Wednesday for further examination.

Denise Allington, director of Computing Solutions Ltd, said she had picked up the device.

"It was like a round metal ball with something on the top," she said. "It must have been there for years and I just lifted it up.

"But when the police and bomb people came they obviously thought that it was better to be safe than sorry

cordoned the area off."

Pam Kasperczyk, manager of Droitwich Spa Nursery and Kindergarten on Worcester Road, said there was some panic among parents who came to pick up their children, but could not get past the police tape.

She said: "They were forced to abandon their cars and walk, but once they knew what was going on they were fine.

"I have been told that it was an unexploded World War II bomb but, luckily, we didn't have to evacuate. We have 50 under five-year-olds and it would have been really chaotic.

"We didn't tell the children what was going on in case it scared them."

Mother, Porcha Treanor, aged 26, arrived just as bomb disposal experts were leaving the scene.

She said: "At first I thought someone may have been assaulted under the underpass.

"When I realised there had been a bomb scare I was shocked but relieved to find out my son was safe."

Staff at Droitwich Town Council also had to be let through the tape to get to their cars after work.

Droitwich Police are now waiting for army bomb disposal experts to confirm what type of explosive it was.

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