A SUSPECTED grenade was found in a river by a man who had been scouring the area with a metal detector.

On Saturday, police were called to Carr Road in Darwen, after a man had removed what he believed to be a grenade from the water close to to Ashton Park.

Officers cordoned off a section behind Carr Road and told residents to leave their back gardens and return inside their homes while they assessed the situation.

One resident, who did not wish to be named, said: "It was about 4.20pm and the police came and knocked on my door and told us they'd blocked off the back of the house, and we were not to go outside into our gardens.

"They said a grenade had been found in the river by a bloke who was out metal detecting.

"Armed police turned up and there were what looked like two riot vans and other police vehicles round the back of my house."

The resident said he then went out for a bike ride and when he returned the police had gone.

He added: "They must've left about 6pm.

"I don't know if it was actually a grenade or not, but it must've been something if all those police had been required."

A spokesperson for the police said: "We were called at around 3.10pm on Saturday to reports that a suspicious object had been found.

"Someone had been out with a metal detector in the Carr Road area of Darwen and had recovered what he thought to be a grenade.

"We arrived at the scene and assessed the incident before calling the explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) unit who attended and removed the object from the area."

The police cordons were removed and residents were allowed back out to their gardens by 6pm.