Man mistakenly throws grenade for dog to chase

Disaster was averted on Harwich beach, Essex, England, when an unsuspecting man walking his dog picked up a “stone” and threw for his dog to chase, not realising that it was actually a grenade. An off-duty military personnel who was passing by alerted the police when saw the object being thrown and realized what it actually was.

Part of the beach was sealed off by police who created a 30 yard cordon around the grenade which was later discovered to be a Second World War grenade.

The device was said to have washed up on the shoreline at Marine Parade in Harwich and it was the fifth to be found on the beach in the past few weeks.

Essex Police said one was found yesterday on the beach near West End Lane and The Promenade while three were found near Lower Marine Parade on July 12.

Police bomb experts disposed the device by carrying out controlled explosions on the beach.
Inspector Paul Butcher said: ''It would appear that the grenades might have been in a crate that ended up in the sea during the Second World War.

''That crate might be breaking up or has been disturbed by dredging in the port and has resulted in these five devices being washed ashore along the same stretch of beach.

''We are asking people to be vigilant if visiting this beach and to dial 999 if they find any of these devices."