A man has taken the bold step of using a World War II bomb – which had ruined his barbecue – to chill his beer.
On Saturday, Ross Miller was mowing his lawn when he unexpectedly discovered a bomb casing from the 1940s, weighing an impressive 11kg.
The previous owners of the house had mentioned something metallic buried in the garden, but they believed it was part of the water supply system.
Upon closer examination, Ross noticed a percussion cap resembling that of a bullet, along with the inscription ‘1940’ on the casing.
Worried about the safety of his nine-year-old daughter, Hannah, he opted to contact emergency services.
West Mercia Police instructed him to maintain a safe distance and to send any photos he had taken.
Shortly thereafter, authorities established a 100-meter perimeter around the site and closed off his street in Putley, Herefordshire.
The cordon was removed a few hours later when an explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) team, along with an explosives detection dog, arrived to assess the bomb.
"After waiting for about two hours, the EOD team showed up and confirmed, 'Yep, it’s a 25-pounder,'" Ross recounted.
They verified that there were no explosives left inside the shell, cleaned it up, and returned it to Ross as a unique keepsake.
He now intends to polish it and repurpose it as a beer cooler for his postponed barbecue.
(Credit: PA)
He mentioned, "I'm planning to fill it with ice to keep some beer bottles chilled," noting that it would make for an excellent icebreaker.
Ross continued, "When you discover something like that in your yard, you have to take action."
"It felt like a day wasted, but I'm relieved that everything ended up okay."