A couple on a camping holiday have spoken of their shock after finding an unexploded bomb just metres from a popular walking path.
Jordan Morris and Caitlin Horrex were out walking on the South Downs Way when they decided to move off the beaten path on the lookout for ancient arrowheads.
Instead, the couple stumbled on what appeared to be an unexploded Second World War bomb sticking out of the East Sussex soil.
Jordan, 30, said: “I quite like archaeology and we were talking about all the flint arrowheads that you can find.
“We were about five metres off the path and Caitlin said, ‘That’s a really big arrowhead’.
“It was pretty shocking. It was quite close to the path and a cyclist could have gone over it if they were trying to overtake people.
“There was a mixture of excitement at finding it but also the realisation that it’s pretty deadly and it could have exploded at any minute.”
Jordan and Caitlin travelled down from London to stay at the Housedean Farm campsite by the side of the A27 near Falmer. They found the unexploded bomb by the side of the South Downs Way just metres from the path.
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Jordan described the bomb as “about the size of your forearm”.
The couple immediately called the police who came to investigate and detonate the explosive.
Sussex Police say they attended the incident yesterday and, after finding the device, destroyed it in a controlled explosion.
A Sussex Police spokeswoman said: “Police received a report at 2.30pm yesterday that a suspected unexploded shell had been located in a field on the South Downs Way, near Balmer Farm.
“The area was cordoned off while the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team safely detonated the item.”
Jordan and Caitlin's find comes after other explosives were found on a West Sussex beach just days ago.
Medmerry Beach, near Chichester, has been closed to the public for years as a result of ordnance continually washing up on the shores.
Explosives were found on the beach in March as well as more devices found just days ago.
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