Watford bomb scare was "a lot of fuss over nothing"

Residents and workers were evacuated from Wiggenhall Road industrial estate on Thursday, January 22, after a bomb disposal squad was called and police confirmed a disused mortar had been discovered.

After an hour, residents and workers were allowed back into their buildings and the disused mortar was removed.

On the same day, Watford's Police Commander, Superintendent Sue Jameson said: "There's a disused railway nearby and we understand, historically, that mortars were set off to alert drivers to hazards."

She then confirmed that although the police believed it was one of those mortars, investigations were ongoing.

David Mitchell, 49, who lives in Cardiff Road, just off Wiggenhall Road, told the mortar belonged to him, and had been sitting on his fence for a number of years.

He said: "The mortar tail has been an ornament on my fence along with a pot and an edging spade. It has always been just the tail of a mortar shell not the bit that goes bang."

He then added: "Sometimes enthusiasm outweighs common sense, the finder or police could have Googled 'mortar tail' before causing such a kerfuffle I would have thought.

"Our neighbours in Cardiff Road thought it was a lot of fuss over nothing."

A Hertfordshire Constabulary spokesman has responded, and said: "When a report is received that a mortar is believed to have been found, an initial assessment is made by officers who then liaise with experts from the military to confirm what the item may be.

"Whilst information was initially received that this was found to be lying on a fence and may not have been viable, there were also conflicting reports from the scene which meant a cordon needed to be put in place. Bomb experts from the army attended and assessed the item and made the decision to remove it from the scene.

"Understandably in situations such as these public safety remains a priority and we are grateful for the cooperation and patience of those affected."