Bomb scare over Dad's Army props

Bomb disposal experts were called into action after an actor in a village hall production of Dad’s Army discovered that two First World War hand grenades they were using as props still had their pins in place.

Fearing the grenades could still be live, Keith Poultney called police and was told to drive them to a deserted field – where the Army destroyed them in a controlled explosion.

Mr Poultney, who is playing Corporal Jones in the Magor Players’ version of the sitcom this weekend, had borrowed the grenades from his mother-in-law.

The 56-year-old financial adviser said ‘things got a bit worrying’, after he realised both the 1918 devices still contained the lead plugs and the pins in the bottoms.

After the controlled explosion by the Ashchurch Troops 11 Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit, the grenades were found not be live.

Mr Poultney told the South Wales Echo: ‘It could have been worse. They may have been live and that really would have brought the house down.’

Published: 5 Jun 2010