WATCH: Drama as man finds grenade in Black Country garden

Rummaging through a pile of soil, the 37-year-old came across a rusty, heavy object.

Without thinking he picked it up – but little did he realise he was holding a live grenade.

Unbeknown to the steel worker, the grenade has previously been dug up from his garden and placed into a bin with soil he was about to relay in his back garden.

He believes the grenade had been resting in the garden bin for years.

The drama unfolded on Tuesday evening.

Matthew did not become aware of what he had found until he washed it – at which point he sounded the alarm.

"I found it in the garden. We have a big pile of soil that we use for bedding plants and I came across it in there," he said.

"I couldn't really tell what it was, so I washed it and saw the pin. That's when I phoned the police."

It was a particularly shocking experience for Matthew's wife Julie, who is seven months' pregnant with their first child.

Matthew said: "She was just doing the tea. I said 'come and have a look at this'. She was quite shocked and said we had better phone the police.

"Thankfully she didn't go into labour."

The grenade was discovered at about 6.30pm on Tuesday.

Before long police officers and bomb disposal units descended on the property in Brook Street, Lower Gornal.

Nearby residents were told to keep out of their front rooms.

The grenade, thought to be from the First or Second World War, was carefully transported to a nearby field off Abbey Street, behind Red Hall Primary School, where a controlled explosion was carried out.

The drama caused a stir on social media.

Residents described hearing a loud bang as the grenade was detonated.

It was more than two hours after the bomb was found before it was detonated, with police officers making door to door visits to tell people not to leave their homes.

Matthew said: "Three police officers came first to have a look at it and they said it would be best for us to stay at the front of the house.

"They phoned the MoD who came and said they needed to take it somewhere to do a controlled explosion.

"The bomb disposal unit took it and cleared the area, made sure no-one was about and did a controlled explosion. I went over afterwards and had a look at the crater."

Live grenades have been unearthed in gardens since the Second World War and there are thought to be more dotted across the Black Country lying undiscovered.

Matthew admitted he didn't comprehend what he was doing when he initially picked up the grenade.

Matthew has lived at the house for 10 years and it belonged to his grandfather before that.

He said: "It was quite corroded and rusty, and the pin was in it. I didn't think, I just picked it up. I couldn't tell exactly what it was.

"I've been told if I find another one not to touch it. It was only afterwards that I thought about it, I probably messed with it more than I should have."