A SCHOOL sports day was cancelled and residents were warned to stay in their homes after an "unexploded bomb" was discovered in a garden.

The mortar round was found at the rear of Holcombe Road in Greenmount late on Tuesday morning by Mr Peter Jolley. He struck the shell twice with his spade while gardening before realising what he had uncovered.

After alerting the emergency services Peter and his wife, Mavis, moved the shell to the back of their garden and carried on working.

Police alerted Greenmount County Primary School and warned staff to keep the children away from the garden which backs on to the school grounds.

It was two hours before army bomb disposal officers confirmed that the mortar round was spent.

Peter, a commercial artist, who was enjoying a few days holiday, said: "My wife, Mavis and I were working in the back garden, digging a drainage trench, when I hit a piece of metal in the ground.

"I struck it again with my spade before the shell was unearthed. You could easily tell it was a mortar round. I simply moved it to one side and called the police. I didn't know if it was live or not."

Police officers cordoned-off a small area around the Jolley's property and ordered the couple and their neighbours to stay indoors until the Army arrived. Fire and ambulance crews were put on stand-by.

Pupils from Greenmount were left disappointed that their annual sports day had to be cancelled but they were treated to a day of inter-house cricket matches on the far side of the school playing field.

Head teacher Mrs Jan Howard said: "When we were told by the police that an unexploded bomb had been found, they said there was no real panic but advised us to keep the children away from the houses.

"We had no option but to cancel the sports day which was sad for the children. However, they found the incident quite exciting."

The sports day will now take place on Monday (July 14).