A POLICEMAN last night described the moment a man walked into a police station and handed over a plastic bag containing five sticks of dynamite as being like something out of a cartoon.

But it was no laughing matter for PC Adam Winter, who recognised it for what it was - a substantial amount of explosives used in the mining industry.

The situation sparked an evacuation of the building and neighbouring leisure centre, prompting a two-hour operation to have the material removed.

PC Winter was on duty at Peterlee police station, in County Durham, at 5.30pm on Friday, when a man walked in and said he had found the substance while clearing out his garage.

He said: "It looked like something out of a cartoon strip. There were five sticks of Plasticine-type substance with a metal strip through the centre.

"They were about 2lb each - or 10lb of dynamite. It could have done a lot of damage if it had gone off."

PC Winter said it had been lying in a garage for 15 years and would have needed an electric charge to ignite it - but no chances were being taken.

The bag was taken to the most isolated part of the police station - the dog kennels - and officers evacuated the building and the leisure centre next door.

A 100-metre area around the station was cordoned off and a prisoner in the cells was transferred to Durham City police station.

Officers from the Royal Logistics Explosive Ordinance Disposal Team, from Catterick Garrison, North Yorkshire, were there by 6.45pm.

They inspected the bag with a camera, confirming it as commercial explosives of the kind used in the mining industry.

The bag was placed in a container and removed for safe disposal, without the need for a controlled explosion. People were allowed back in the buildings at 7.40pm.

PC Winter said: "It belonged to the man's grandfather, an electrician in the mines, who died seven years ago.

"It is believed he brought it home with him 15 years ago, when controls would have been far more relaxed."

PC Winter said he had been in the Army and had experience of explosives, so remained calm when he realised what it was.

He said: "However, as the bomb disposal officers left, they said that had it been stored in the same place as aerosols or paints, the chemicals could have reacted with the explosives and made them unstable.

"That did give me a start as the explosives had been in a garage, so there was every possibility they could have been exposed to aerosols or paints."

A police spokesman said: "As a matter of advice, any persons finding any items which they suspect may be of an explosive nature - do not touch. Leave the items alone and report the matter to the police urgently."

The police can be contacted on 0845 6060365.