UK Couple's Garden Ornament Turns Out Live Bomb: "It Knocked Us For Six"

A couple in the UK were shocked when they were told that an unexploded missile they kept as garden ornament was actually a live bomb. According to The Guardian, Sian and Jeffrey Edwards, from Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire, had thought it was a "dummy" bomb with no charge. Ms Edwards said she used to bang her trowel on it to remove earth after gardening. The couple got the news from a policeman on Wednesday who said he would need to alert the Ministry of Defence.

"We didn't sleep a wink all night. It knocked us for six," Mr Edwards, 77, told The Guardian.

"I told the bomb disposal unit: 'We're not leaving the house, we're staying here. If it goes up, we're going to go up with it'," he further said.

The BBC reported that the bomb was transported to a disused quarry in Walwyn's Castle, buried with five tonnes of sand and detonated. Tests carried out by the bomb disposal squad showed the live bomb had very little charge.

"It was an old friend. I'm so sorry that the poor old thing was blown to pieces," said Mr Edwards, who has lived on the street since he was three.

Metro said that the bomb is thought to date back to the 19th century.

Mr Edwards said he was told about the item's history by the Morris family, who owned the home and found the bomb 100 years ago. Mr Edwards and his wife bought the house in 1982.

"Warships for the Royal Navy used to drop anchor in St Brides Bay and point their guns towards Broad Haven and open fire," he told the BBC.

"They used to use the sands for target practice. They'd make sure there was no one on the sands," Mr Edwards said.

Mr Edwards said the hole the bomb was nestled in had now been filled in, with flower pots rearranged to cover it.