by Alan McGuinness

Roads in Rainham were closed for almost three hours when a worker repairing gas mains discovered a First World War bomb.

The man, who was working on Wimbourne Drive, found a metal cylinder at 1.30pm yesterday and called the police.

Police closed the surrounding roads and army bomb disposal officers arrived and detonated the device, which was later identified as a 15lb shrapnel shell.

Benedict O’Connor, spokesman for the army, said: “It’s very common to find them.

“There was extensive training in the First World War and there was a lot of stuff that was used and didn’t go off. The team get called out every day for something in Kent.”

The roads were opened again at 4.10pm.

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