Police were called to a County Durham home yesterday after a grenade was found in the basement.

It is understood residents were cleaning out the basement of a home in Close House, Bishop Auckland, when they came across the device.

It was not clear at the time whether the device was active.

Police were called to the scene yesterday (August 1) afternoon around 4pm to deal with the explosive and a cordon was put in place while it was dealt with.

Read more: Billingham mum hits out at firm that's done bathrooms for Geordie Shore stars

Officers from the EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) unit attended the scene and confirmed the grenade was not active before removing it to be destroyed.

It is not currently known where the grenade came from, or how long it may have been lying in the Close House property but it is understood that no one had been in the basement for a number of years.

A spokesperson for Durham Police told The Northern Echo: “Police were called at around 4pm yesterday (August 1) after a grenade was found in during a basement clean of a property in Close House, Bishop Auckland.

Officers from our EOD attended and confirmed the item was not active before removing it. It will now safely be disposed of.”

Read next:

If you want to read more great stories, why not subscribe to your Northern Echo for as little as £1.25 a week. Click here