British Army carries out controlled explosion of WW2 munitions found in Leamington Spa river

A hoard of Second World War munitions and weapons has been discovered in a river in Leamington Spa.

The find was made on Sunday afternoon and included rifles, handguns, grenades, and an 18-pound artillery shell, which required British Army expertise to make safe.

Personnel from 11 EOD & Search Regiment, RLC, carried out a controlled explosion on Monday.

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Warwickshire Police told Forces News that their working assumption is that the cache was dumped in the river at the end of the war by the Home Guard.

The discovery was unearthed by members of the Peaky Dippers magnet fishing group, who took to Facebook to say it's one of the biggest finds they have secured from a single location. 

An MOD Spokesperson said: "We can confirm that on 5 November 2023, Ashchurch Troop, 721 EOD Squadron, 11 EOD&S Regiment Royal Logistics Corps, responded to the discovery of possible ordnance in Leamington Spa at the request of the local Police.

"The team identified several legacy munitions which were safely and successfully disposed of."