A CONTRACTOR smashing concrete in a Melksham garden was lucky not to set off a live unexploded First World War shell buried beneath it.

The discovery was made on Monday, less than an hour after a bomb disposal team had been called to another military shell found at the Castle Mead building site in Trowbridge.

Police were called just before 12.30pm to a house in Church Walk, Melksham, after the discovery was made by sub-contractor Michael Hudd as he was digging in the garden.

It is the second shell to be found there in three months. The first was safely exploded at farmland in Shurnhold.

Melksham Town Cllr Richard Wiltshire, whose company Richard G Wiltshire Ltd is carrying out the building work, thinks the finds could be because a previous tenant had kept the bombs hidden as souvenirs.

He said the shell was active, with powder inside, and was missing its brass casing.

“We were very surprised to find a second one,” he said.

“Bomb Disposal told Michael Hudd that the shell was still active and he was very lucky that in breaking the concrete above it with a sledge hammer that it had not exploded.”

The bomb disposal squad wanted to do a controlled explosion and were going to the White Horse, Westbury, but took it back to their base in Tidworth where it was safely exploded later that day.

Police had earlier evacuated the building site in Trowbridge, where homes are being added to the Paxcroft Mead estate, and put a 50m cordon in place after the shell was discovered, while they waited for the Explosive Ordinance Disposal team to arrive from Tidworth.

The shell was examined by the EOD team before being taken back to their base for safe disposal.