A BUILDER last night re-lived the terrifying moment he found himself holding a First World War hand grenade in the palm of his hand.

Neville Boyes was renovating an empty house in Heighington Street, Aycliffe Village, County Durham, yesterday when he unknowingly uncovered the grenade.

Mr Boyes, of NB Builders, based in Aycliffe Village, had gutted the kitchen of the terraced house and had taken the rubbish into the back garden.

However, it was not until later that morning, during a tea break, that he called 999 after he and his two work colleagues realised they had just moved the lethal device.

Mr Boyes, 44, said: “We had gone off for tea and I was looking over the stuff we had just thrown out when I saw an old tin mug on the ground.

“I picked it up and there was a plastic bag in it, so I tipped it out into my hand, opened the bag and there it was.

“I thought it was the real thing because it still had the pin.

“I had it in my hand so I just put it near the back of the wall, near the tree, and I just left it and called 999.

“I didn’t know if it was going to go off or what, so I just walked away but I was thinking if this goes off then we’re all going to die.”

A police spokeswoman said: “We got a call just before 9.45am to say somebody renovating a house found what they thought was a World War One hand grenade with a pin in.

“There was a cordon set up around the house. Bomb disposal experts later found that the grenade was inert.”

The cordon was removed and the builders were back at work by about noon.

An Army spokesman said: “I cannot say a great deal because this is a matter for the police, but what I will say is whoever called the emergency services did absolutely the right thing. The item will be taken away and disposed of safely.”