Officers surprised as man brings grenade to Burgess Hill police station

The owner told stunned officers at the Burgess Hill front office he had bought the grenade some 20 years ago from a French market stall, Inspector Darren Taylor said.

He added: “It may have been real in its day but it’s now turned into a souvenir.

“[Officers] said ‘how do you know it’s not real’ and he said ‘it’s alright I have taken it apart and pulled the pin out and unscrewed it’.”

Inspector Taylor said the owner told officers the grenade, which he ‘plonked’ on the desk, was okay because he had ‘played with it many times’.

Bomb disposal teams have been notified of the explosive, he added. Inspector Taylor said: “Just to make sure that it’s definitely not real. We would rather double check.”

He said officers are used to seeing weird and wonderful things and there was no malicious intent in dropping off the grenade.

Inspector Taylor added: “Our front office staff see and hear all sorts! Thankfully it wasn’t a live one.”