A LIVE hand grenade which someone tried to detonate in a public park had to be blown up by bomb disposal experts.
Chelmsford City Council wardens found the device on Thursday afternoon half-a-mile into Admirals Park, Chelmsford.
The Bomb Disposal Unit from the Royal Logistics Corps sealed off the area and carried out a controlled explosion to make the grenade safe.
A resident of Beachs Drive, which is near the park, said that there had been a "terrific bang".
She said: "I did not know what it was. At first I thought that it was a gas explosion. Then I saw the bomb disposal unit and all the emergency services on my road."
The hand grenade, which was lying on the grass, was found by staff from Chelmsford City Council's park services department shortly before 2pm.
Inspector Cheryl Hayes, of Essex Police, said: "It would appear that an attempt had been made to set off the grenade but that it had failed to detonate.
"It was discovered by a council employee, lying approximately 10 feet away from a pathway in the park.
"He immediately recognised it for what it was and called the police, and we attended to then put in place cordons and await the arrival of the MOD's expert Explosive Ordnance Disposal team.
"They confirmed that the device was live and carried out a controlled explosion to make it safe."
She believed the grenade had not been there for a long time as it was easy to see from the path.
"It is obviously very fortunate that the device did not explode as if it had detonated then clearly there would have been a danger to anyone who may have been at the location, including the person who tried to set it off," the inspector added.
One resident said: "It's pretty shocking to think a grenade has been found in a popular park."
Another, Sophie Anderton, tweeted: "Seeing a bomb disposal van flying through Chelmsford with its sirens going isn't what I expected to see today."
A controlled explosion was carried out at 4.20pm, but the type of grenade could not be determined and the police say they have no idea where it came from.
"At this point in time we don't know where this grenade came from," said Inspector Hayes
"But this appears to be an isolated occurrence and we have no knowledge of any similar incidents in Essex nor do we have any information on any thefts of such items.
"We do not believe there is any on-going risk to members of the public, but we obviously want to trace the person or persons who were involved in this incident as soon as possible."
Call Essex Police on 101 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
