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Bomb squad called to town centre after grenade found

Richard Bates police cars at cordoned section in DarwenRichard Bates
Police temporarily cordoned off the area in Croft Street

An Army bomb disposal team has destroyed a suspected World War Two grenade that was handed to police in a town centre.

The area around the Market Hall in Darwen was cordoned off after the owner approached officers with it at about 13:40 BST on Saturday, Lancashire Police said.

The force said the item had been in the owner's family "for a number of years" and they had been advised to seek police advice on its safety.

A spokeswoman for the Ministry of Defence said specialists attended after being called by police.

“The item was safely moved to a safe distance and destroyed by demolition,” she added.

The area has since reopened.

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