A GRANDMOTHER had a lucky escape on Tuesday when she found an unexploded bomb in her Winchester garden.

Sharon Newton, 47, (pictured) was digging in her garden in Fivefields Road, Highcliffe, which used to belong to former Winchester character, Ron Purse, at lunchtime, when she made the frightening discovery.

Ms Newton, who moved into Mr Purse's ex-home in April, said: "He left a lot of rubbish and glass, ornaments, even carcasses of animals in the garden.

"I was digging away and when I lifted the fork up out of the rubble there was something on the end of it.

"I shook it and said to myself I hope this isn't what I think it is'."

She took it to a neighbour, who told her it was a live World War Two RAF bomb, and she was told to put it in a bucket of water straight away and phone the police.

The road was cordoned off between Fivefields Close and Gordon Avenue for around three hours, and around 20 homes were evacuated while a bomb disposal unit from the Royal Logistics Corps dealt with the bomb.

It was then transported to the King George V playing grounds at Bar End just after 3.35pm, where a controlled explosion was carried out.

Ms Newton said she was worried for the safety of her seven grandchildren, who had been digging in the garden, and wanted the council to clear the rest for her family's safety.

She said: "I shouldn't have to continue clearing all that knowing there could be more things like that in there.

"Luckily my grandchildren hadn't managed to dig deep enough to find it. We've all had a very lucky escape."

Mr Purse died last December at his Fivefields Road home and was known in Winchester as the burping man'.

He was often seen picking up rubbish in the city centre and putting it into his pram, and was well-known as a hoarder.

The Mayor of Winchester, Cllr Chris Pines, knew Mr Purse for decades.

He said: "I think if Ron was here he'd probably say something like that's a turn up for the books', and then carry on. He'd be as non-plussed about it as anybody!

"If he'd found it he'd probably have stood there, scratched his head a bit, and put it in his pram and taken it down to the police station."

Friends said Mr Purse's habit of collecting started when he moved to Highcliffe, and it was a habit that grew with him throughout his life, from his infamous pushchair and prams, to newspaper clippings and abandoned clothing.

He would often bag the items up and handed them to people he met on the street or in pubs as presents.

He was also fond of animals, keeping rabbits and a hamster.

Nobody from the police or bomb disposal unit were available to comment at the time of going to press.