AN UNEXPLODED Second World War bomb was found under a tree at Gatwick Airport.

A bomb squad was called in when the device was found in the airport ground between the north and south terminals on Tuesday morning.

The weapon had been there so long a tree had grown around it.

A police cordon was set up and the shuttle service between the two terminals was suspended while the incident was dealt with. No flights were affected.

A police spokesman said: "At 9.30am a Second World War munition, possibly an unexploded shell, was discovered close to the police dog training ground at Gatwick Airport. A tree appeared to have grown around the device, suggesting it had been there for a considerable time."

The cordon was lifted at midday and the bomb was later destroyed with a controlled explosion.