Police have identified a man they wanted to speak to after money was removed from a cash machine at Asda in Harrogate.

North Yorkshire Police issued CCTV images of the man after £150 that was left on the cash machine from a previous transaction was taken.

Police were not aware of any attempt that had been made to return the cash to its owner.

The incident happened at Asda on Bower Street at 10.23am on Sunday, May 1.

In an update on May 27, police said they had identified the man and we have therefore removed the images of him from this post.

Read more:

• North Yorkshire Police officer admits making 8,700 indecent child images
• Harrogate drug dealer sentenced to four years in prison

North Yorkshire Police is appealing for witnesses after a tractor theft in Weeton.

The tractor was stole from Weeton Lane at 2.10am on May 12. According to police, a vehicle entered a farm and stole the orange Kubota Compact b7100 tractor.

Officers are asking for the public to come forward with information, particularly sightings of vehicles on Weeton Lane at the time of the incident.

You can contact the police on 101, select option 2 and ask for Chloe Kinnear. Or email chloe.kinnear@northyorkshire.police.uk.

The crime reference number is 12220081066.

Read more:

• Police appeal after man robbed in Harrogate
• Three men arrested after theft of trailer near Boroughbridge

Recap the highlights from today’s first North Yorkshire County Council meeting today since the local elections on May 5.

The key points include:

• Conservative Carl Les elected council leader unopposed.
• Michael Harrison is the only councillor from the Harrogate district’s on Cllr Les’ 10-person executive.
• Female representation on the executive double from one to two out of 10.
• Calls for Harrogate Town Council to be established as soon as possible.
• Calls for sale of Ripon Spa Baths to be halted.

2pm: Meeting ends

A marathon 3.5-hour meeting ends. It was the first county council meeting since the local elections and saw a new executive team named by leader Carl Les.

The more even political composition of the council was reflected in the length of some of the debates.

1.50pm: Jubilee theme at County Hall

A copy of the Daily Mail from June 3, 1953 — the day after the Queen’s coronation — is on a royal-themed table greeting everyone at today’s meeting at County Hall, Northallerton.

1.47pm: 15 care homes have covid outbreaks

Michael Harrison, the executive member for health and adult social services, says 15 care homes in North Yorkshire have one or more covid cases. He says this has an impact on the NHS, which can’t discharge patients to these homes.

1.42pm: Motion to criticise Home Office of handling of Linton is passed

Some Conservative councillors are reluctant to vote on a motion criticising the Home Office, saying it is against procedure, or political grandstanding, But after a lengthy debate the motion is voted on and receives overwhelming support from all parties.

1.18pm: Heated debate over Linton asylum centre 

Cllr Stuart Parsons, the leader of the Independent group, proposes a vote of no confidence in the Home Office in its handling of the asylum centre at Linton-on-Ouse.

Cllr Les says he’s happy to make a statement and support Hambledon District Council’s call for a judicial review but can’t support a blanket no confidence motion on the Home Office.

Cllr Parsons says the motion purely relates to Home Office actions regarding Linton. Cllr Les agrees to support this.

Cllr Malcolm Taylor, whose division includes the former RAF site at Linton-on-Ouse that is to be converted into the centre, says Home Office representatives will be attending a parish council meeting tomorrow night and a demonstration is planned.

He says Linton has a population of 600 and the first asylum seekers are expected on May 31.

The centre will be on the edge of the Harrogate district, just a few miles from Knaresborough and Boroughbridge.

A Conservative councillor living near the site says her inbox is full of messages of concern, many from women worried about the impact of an influx of hundreds of men in the area.  She says asylum seekers need help but urges fellow councillors to “think of that little community”

There is now a vote over whether the no confidence vote should go ahead.

1.02pm: Expect more demand-led buses

Cllr Duncan is receiving plenty of transport questions and is giving an assured first performance.

He is asked whether the council’s pilot scheme testing demand-led buses, which includes Ripon and Masham, will be extended. The system is likened to Uber whereby people call for small local buses rather than rely on a timetable service.

Keane is keen. He says “this is exactly the type of approach we should be taking” as an alternative to conventional bus services. He adds demand-led buses won’t be appropriate everywhere but they could be rolled out in many areas.

12.48pm: Transport chief calls for bus alternatives

Cllr Keane Duncan says some bus routes are not viable and the council needs to look at alternatives to help people get around.

12.31pm: New transport chief Keane Duncan faces pothole questions

Ryedale councillor Keane Duncan (pictured), the youthful successor to Harrogate’s Don Mackenzie on the transport brief, is immediately asked a question on potholes by Ripon Independent Andrew Williams.

Cllr Williams invites Cllr Duncan to visit Ripon “so I can show him first had some of the pothole-ridden roads you’ve taken priority for”.

He adds he’s sure Cllr Duncan wants to make it a priority for residents to be able to drive around North Yorkshire “comfortably rather than bouncing around”.

Cllr Duncan says it’s a new council but “many issues will be the same”. He agrees to visit Ripon and is then invited by Liberal Democrat Pat Marsh to also visit Knaresborough.

12.28pm: What will happen to local assets like Knaresborough Castle?

Liberal Democrat Pat Marsh asks how parish councils will be given a voice to “retain assets they feel are theres”, such as Knaresborough Castle, when the seven district councils, including Harrogate Borough Council, are abolished next year.

Deputy leader Gareth Dadd says North Yorkshire Council could inherit 13,000 pieces of real estate when it begins life next year. He says the new council “will be open for asset transfer” and is “mindful of the benefits of community ownership” but does not commit further.

12.22pm Why do councillors have plastic bottles?

Bryn Griffiths, the Liberal Democrat councillor for Stokesley, asks why he can see so many single use plastic bottles in the chamber.

Cllr Greg White replies that he can’t give an answer but will look into it.

Cllr Griffiths then asks if removing single use plastics is a council commitment.

Cllr White says, to cheers, it will happen “as soon as we possibly can”.

12.13pm: Ouseburn councillor says council gives ‘lip service’ to environment

Arnold Warneken (pictured), the first Green Party candidate elected from the Harrogate district, suggests in his first meeting that the council only pays lip service to the environment.

He says the body language from fellow councillors when he raises tree-planting initiatives is ‘oh, not another hugger’

He says the environment is regarded as “a tag on” and protecting the planet is far more important.

Greg White, the executive member in charge of climate change, replies that every report to committees will include climate impact assessments and Cllr Warneken will have the opportunity to question them.

12.01pm: The new top table

This picture shows the new 10-person executive sitting around the top table, below chair Margaret Atkinson. Michael Harrison, on the far right, is the only Harrogate district councillor selected by leader Carl Les.

11.46am: No public questions

We are now up to the ‘public questions’ item on the agenda. But none were submitted: hardly a glowing endorsement of the state of local democracy.

11.33am: Female representation on executive doubles — to two

Janet Sanderson

Annabel Wilkinson

The number of female councillors on the 10-person executive has doubled — to two.

Bedale councillor Annabel Wilkinson is given the education brief previously held by Patrick Mulligan. Thornton Dale councillor Janet Sanderson, retains the children’s services role.

11.30am: Chamber packed for Carl Les’ coronation

It seems that all 90 newly elected councillors are here. Remember, the Conservatives got 47 councillors elected, giving them a slim majority of four, which is why the new council is led by a Conservative and a 10-person executive includes only Conservatives.

11.25am: Call for sale of Ripon Spa Baths to be halted

Andrew Williams (pictured), the leader of Ripon City Council who was elected to the county council as an Independent two weeks ago, calls for soon-to-be-abolished Harrogate Borough Council to be prevented from proceeding with the sale of Ripon Spa Baths. He says it should be retained as a community asset.

Council leader Les says “I will take legal advice on this”, adding warm words but no commitment. He says:

“We are not going to be awkward. If it’s a sensible thing being proposed we will want to support it. I will have to look into Ripon Baths”

11.23am: Harrogate district only gets one councillor on 10-person executive

Michael Harrison is the only councillor from the Harrogate district chosen by leader Carl Les on his 10-person executive, which raises questions about how strongly the district’s voice will be heard on the county council.

11.18am: Call to create Harrogate Town Council

Liberal Democrat Pat Marsh, who was elected to represent the Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone division on May 5, calls for an assurance that “as soon as possible, within the next couple of months” the process to create town councils for Harrogate and Scarborough begins.

Council leader Carl Les says he will check the legal position and “If it’s in our gift, I think the process should start immediately”.

11.15am Keane Duncan succeeds Don Mackenzie

Harrogate’s Don Mackenzie (pictured) did not seek re-election on May 5. He is replaced by Keane Duncan, a journalist who lives in Malton.

Cllr Duncan’s portfolio has changed slightly — he will still oversee transport, as did Cllr Mackenzie, but the brief no longer includes broadband.

11.10am Harrogate district’s Michael Harrison retains health and adult services brief

Michael Harrison has been named executive member for health and adult services. Cllr Harrison, who lives in Killinghall Moor, held the brief before the last election.

He was elected to the division of Killinghall, Hampsthwaite and Saltergate two weeks ago.

11.04am: Carl Les elected leader unopposed

As expected, Conservative Carl Les is elected as leader of the county council and its successor North Yorkshire Council until May 2027.

11.02am: Margaret Atkinson gives acceptance speech

New chairman Margaret Atkinson says she is a “tough cookie” who won’t stand for any nonsense.

10.58am: Will female representation increase?

It could hardly get much worse. the previous 10-person executive included just one woman. This was Cllr Les’ previous top team.

• Carl Les, leader of the council,
• Gareth Dadd, deputy leader and executive member for finance
• Don Mackenzie, executive member for access (highways)
• Patrick Mulligan, executive member for education
• Michael Harrison, executive member for health and adult services
• Derek Bastiman, executive member for open to business
• Andrew Lee, executive member for public health
• David Chance, executive member for stronger communities
• Janet Sanderson, executive member for children’s services
• Greg White, executive member for climate change and customer engagement

10.50am: Kirkby Malzeard’s Margaret Atkinson elected chair

Conservative Margaret Atkinson (pictured), who was elected to represent Masham and Fountains two weeks ago, is elected chair of North Yorkshire County Council. Cllr Atkinson lives in Kirkby Malzeard and is a long-serving county and district councillor.

A group of five Independents has vowed to stand in future elections after they failed to win a seat on the new North Yorkshire Council.

Anna McIntee (Stray, Woodlands, Hookstone), Lucy Gardiner (Valley Gardens & Central Harrogate), Sarah Hart (Harlow Hill and St Georges) Daniel Thompson (Coppice Valley and Duchy) and Jon Starkey (Boroughbridge & Claro) all stood for the election on May 5.

Using the motto ‘Time for a Change’ and sporting pink uniforms, they pledged to put a stop to housebuilding in the area and oppose transport schemes like the Harrogate Station Gateway.

In the end, the district’s electorate voted for change, but it was the more familiar yellow of the Liberal Democrats that they chose.

But during their concession speeches at the election count, Ms Hart, Mr Thompson and Ms Gardiner all suggested they’d stand again in future elections, with a potential Harrogate Town Council on the horizon.

‘Same old faces’

It was a disappointing set of results for the Independents, in contrast to the strong showing by Independents in Ripon.

Over the past couple of years, thousands of people signed petitions set up by Anna McIntee and Lucy Gardiner to oppose the Oatlands Drive one way scheme and the Beech Grove Low Traffic Neighbourhood.

However, they weren’t able to translate successful petitions into votes.

Ms McIntee came fourth in her division with 167 ticks next to her name.

Ms Gardiner and Ms Hart fared better, receiving over 300 votes each, but they didn’t come close to beating the victorious Tory and Lib Dem councillors they were up against.

The five candidates met for a debrief last week where they reflected on the campaign.

Ms Gardiner said they were disappointed to see “the same old faces and old ideas being returned for another five years”.

She said:

“We were not just paper candidates but true representatives of the community, sharing many of the main issues as the residents and businesses, too many houses, no proper infrastructure, increase in congestion with no realistic solutions, pocket planning, all the wasted money on vanity projects, to name a few.

“It is disappointing that we didn’t get the majority and it was a shame there wasn’t an Independent candidate for every seat. However, considering we had no party machine behind us and none of us had ever stood before, we didn’t do too badly.”

Mr Starkey said he was disappointed by the low turnout.

“An average of only 36% voted and many still voted for the ‘party’ rather than the ‘person’, so we have to ask ourselves why?
Is the thought process ‘let’s give them another chance’, ‘I’ve always voted the same’, ‘it’s time for change’, or ‘what’s the point?’”

Read more:

• What cost the Tories votes in the Harrogate district?
• Stunning Green win in Ouseburn sets blueprint for future collaborations

Upsets

Before the election, it was difficult to predict who would vote for the ‘Time for a Change’ five.

Would it be disgruntled Conservative voters? Or people who don’t usually vote but who were attracted to their anti-establishment message?

The Conservatives failed to win three of the five seats where the independents stood.

These included the current deputy leader of Harrogate Borough Council, Cllr Graham Swift. He came a close second in the Coppice Valley and Duchy division, in a big upset for the Lib Dems.

Daniel Thompson came third and suggested his 199 votes helped to deny Cllr Swift the win.

Ms Gardiner said they succeeded in part of their aim of getting “the wrong people out”.

She said:

“We may not have succeeded by getting in but we certainly opened up the conversation and put the cat amongst the pigeons seeing a few key Conservatives in ‘safe’ seats voted out.”

Mr Thompson added:

“The Conservatives have been in power for years and their only legacy is a shambolic local plan favouring the pockets of the national house builders, pocket planning with multi million pound cycling lanes going nowhere and the (reported) £17 million vanity project that is the Civic Centre.”

Local issues

Following the abolition of HBC next year, it’s expected that a Harrogate town council will be set up to potentially manage local assets such as the Stray and Harrogate Convention Centre.

Elections could take place in 2024, and Ms Gardiner said the independents want to ensure Harrogate has a strong “community” voice, free from the shackles of party politics.

She said:

“Our efforts weren’t in vain, the independents aren’t going anywhere and we will strive to ensure Harrogate and Knaresborough doesn’t get swallowed up by the new North Yorkshire Council.

“We must not be led by politics, we must be led by the community and have a town council with the right people at the helm.”

Liberal Democrats leader Ed Davey has said the Conservative Party has “taken Harrogate for granted” in the wake of this month’s local election results.

Ten Liberal Democrat councillors were elected in the Harrogate district, compared with nine Conservatives, one Green and one Independent. However, the Tories still have a majority across North Yorkshire as a whole.

The positive results for the local Lib Dems has spurred the party on to make further gains in the area, with the ultimate prize being the seat of Conservative MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, Andrew Jones.

The party previously identified the constituency as one of its top 30 target seats in the next general election, which will be held no later than May 2024.

Mr Davey said:

“Harrogate has been taken for granted by the Conservative Party and clearly people have had enough. This month Harrogate joined countless other parts of the country in voting Liberal Democrat to send Boris Johnson a message.

“His government is failing to help people with the cost of living crisis and making matters worst through grossly unfair tax hikes.”

Read more:

• Are the Tories or Lib Dems calling the shots in Harrogate and Knaresborough?
• What cost the Tories votes in the Harrogate district?

Mr Davey criticised the Conservative-run Harrogate Borough Council for spending £17m on new offices as well as £5,000 on a snow globe at King’s Cross station.

He said the soon-to-be abolished authority had “stopped listening to local people”.

“The Conservative party in Harrogate has wasted huge sums of taxpayers’ cash on giant snow globes and a council office for a council that is being abolished.

“They’ve stopped listening to local people, as developers build all over Harrogate and Knaresborough’s green fields and they’ve failed to deliver on the long-promised electrification on the rail line to Harrogate.”

General election

Andrew Jones has been the MP since 2010 and has won four elections. He succeeded Liberal Democrat Phil Willis.

In the 2019 general election, Mr Jones won 29,962 votes, beating Lib Dem candidate Judith Rogerson by almost 10,000 votes. The Lib Dems did gain a 12-point swing on 2017, which largely came at the expense of the Labour Party.

Mr Davey added:

“At the next general election it will be a two-horse race in Harrogate between Boris Johnson’s Conservative party and a hard working team of local Liberal Democrats.”

The Stray Ferret asked Andrew Jones for a response but we did not receive one.

A Conservative-led council has voiced fury after the Home Office announced it had moved forward plans to open a centre for asylum seekers on the edge of the Harrogate district.

A meeting of Hambleton District Council heard claims the Home Office had treated the residents of Linton-on-Ouse and the surrounding area with “complete contempt” by revealing that 60 people would be arriving at the centre in the isolated village from May 31, weeks earlier than it previously stated.

The centre will be just 10 miles from Boroughbridge and 13 miles from Knaresborough, and on the doorstep of Harrogate district villages such as Nun Monkton, Great Ouseburn and Green Hammerton.

Ministers have insisted the centre, at a former RAF training base, will “provide safe and self-sufficient accommodation”.

They say the centre, where Prince William trained as a pilot, will help end the Home Office’s reliance on expensive hotels, which are costing the taxpayer £4.7million a day.

The authority’s leader, Cllr Mark Robson, said during a meeting with the police and crime commissioner, Thirsk and Malton MP Kevin Hollinrake that the Home Office’s announcement had come as “a bit of a bombshell”.

He said:

“What we were told four to six weeks just before Easter has suddenly become two weeks time.

“I’m in no doubt about how much worry and concern there is in the local community and the surrounding areas about this proposal from government.”

He said the authority was working to get answers about the situation as quickly as it could. Cllr Robson the authority had appointed a legal team and was anticipating receiving advice imminently.

Read more:

• Ouseburn councillor: ‘pause thoughtless Linton asylum centre’

• Village on fringes of Harrogate district to house asylum seekers

The council leader said elected members and officers had been “in constant and robust dialogue” with the Home Office, and that the council was expecting a response to the council’s concerns later this week.

Cllr Robson said:

“We have, in the strongest possible terms, asked that the Home Office pause this proposal immediately to allow for consultation to be carried out and are awaiting the response to this ask.

“Officers and members continue to take part in multi-agency meetings and support and work closely with the local community and surrounding areas. Although frustrating and concerning, it is very important that what we do now doesn’t prejudice any outcome from the legal process.”

‘Goalposts have changes again’

Linton-on-Ouse Cllr Malcolm Taylor said while the community was looking for answers, there was now a “very tight window of opportunity” to take action. He said:

“The goalposts have been changed yet again by the Home Office and I think it is absolutely regrettable and disgraceful the way this Home Office has treated the residents not just of Linton-on-Ouse but the wider community and this council and everybody who is an interested party in this. We need to get answers and we need to get them very quickly.”

Local member Cllr Nigel Knapton added:

“They are playing games with us and it is absolutely disgraceful.”

Knaresborough has its share of mysteries — did Mother Shipton really predict the future and how did Blind Jack build so many roads?

Now there is a new one: how did a First World War bomb lie undiscovered in the River Nidd for so many years?

The bomb was found in the shallows beneath Grimbald Bridge yesterday by litter picker Simon Briscombe.

Mr Briscombe thought it was a gas canister until the bomb squad turned up and carried out a controlled explosion in a nearby field.

Police closed the A59 for two hours.

It seems miraculous that such a weapon could have lurked undiscovered for more than a century — and how did it get there?

Intriguingly, Kathy Allday, chair of Knaresborough Museum Association, said a British plane came down in the Nidd during the First World War, close to the area where the weapon was discovered.

The pilot was killed and debris was scattered across the river. Could it have been carrying the bomb?

Unexploded shell in Scriven Park

It isn’t the first explosive device found in Knaresborough.

Members of Claro Community Archaeology Group discovered an unexploded shell from the Second World War in Scriven Park while metal detecting several years ago.

Mike Baxter, chairman of the group, says there was a munitions factory at nearby Farnham during the Second World War. He added.

“The Home Guard was supplied with all kinds of horrible phosphorus-type bombs in case we were invaded.”

Read more:

• Watch First World War bomb detonated in Knaresborough
• Bomb squad detonates First World War bomb in Knaresborough
• Meet the Knaresborough woman who is a dog chaperone at weddings

Kevin Earl, a military history enthusiast from Knaresborough, said his gut feeling was that this was a German bomb from the Second World War and if it dated back to the 1914-18 war he could only imagine it had been disposed of in the river.

Knaresborough resident Chris Jenkins got in touch to say:

“The photo of the actual item was an artillery shell.

“You can see the soft metal drive bands on the shell. This makes more sense as I am not aware of Knaresborough being bombed in World War One.

“It’s not uncommon to find war trophies ditched near bridges. Guns and material were brought home and then ditched over the years when it was realised they were not appropriate.”

Simon Briscombe

Mr Briscombe, who stumbled across the weapon, thinks this explanation is plausible. He said:

“Judging by the state it was in when I pulled it out of the river it had obviously been there a long time.

“It’s quite probable that somebody brought it back from the war as a memento and when he died his family chucked it into the river.”

The self-employed electrician said he hadn’t managed to do much work today but was grateful to be alive.

“My phone has been ringing off the hook. I think I’m going to have to knock today on the head. But there could have been bits of me hanging off the bridge!”

North Yorkshire’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner looks set to sell Masham Police House as a community asset.

Known locally as “the old police house”, the building was initially used to house the local police constable.

However, since 2003 it has been leased to Mashamshire Community Office, a charity that provides community services, such as tourist information, the community library and arts and crafts.

Commissioner Zoe Metcalfe has revealed the plans as part of a move to relocate police to Masham Fire Station.

Ms Metcalfe said:

“Co-locating services at Masham Fire Station aligns our police and fire service in this area, making effective use of our estate to ultimately maximise investment in frontline services as detailed in my police and crime plan.

“North Yorkshire Police will continue to have a place of touchdown for local officers when needed, and they will continue as usual to work out of Ripon and Pateley Bridge police stations.

“Mashamshire Community Office is a fantastic local asset which has been providing benefit to the public for nearly two decades. I recognise this value on the community and I hope our sale will afford them the opportunity to purchase the property, with a supportive timeline and value agreed for this process.”

Read more:

• Pateley Bridge police station to be sold
• Policing in Ripon comes under a barrage of fire

Mashamshire Community Office will now have the opportunity to raise funds to purchase the police house prior to the building being put up for sale.

The commissioner expects to sell the property next year.

Paul Theakston, chair of trustees at Mashamshire Community Office, said:

“We are very grateful for the opportunity to purchase the old police house, from which the community office has been delivering an ever-expanding range of services into our community for the past twenty years.

“Actually, owning the building will secure our position literally at the heart of the community and ensure that we will be able to provide community services long into the future.”

This is the moment that a First World War bomb was detonated in Knaresborough.

The unexploded bomb was found in the River Nidd during a weekly litter pick by Simon Briscombe, whose partner Rachel Wills owns the Watermill cafe.

The couple wrapped the bomb, which they initially thought to be a gas canister, in sandbags at their home and dialled 101. The bomb squad, police and firefighters rushed to their home at The Chase.

Their house, along with about 30 others on the estate, was immediately evacuated while the bomb was taken to a nearby field and a controlled explosion carried out. The A59 was closed for about two hours.

Local resident Piers Ballance shot the footage below of the detonation in his friend Sam Darnbook’s field off the A59, opposite the Toyota garage.

Mr Ballance said the road was closed from Goldsborough roundabout to Manse Lane while the controlled explosion was carried out.

He said:

“We saw several police officers and army personnel at the site of the detonation.

“The explosion surprised us all as we did not expect it to be as loud. We felt the shockwave go through us.”

Read more:

• Bomb squad detonates First World War bomb in Knaresborough
• Knaresborough daredevil, 70, performs 50th skydive

Meanwhile, Ms Wills said her and her partner were left in shock after finding the bomb.

She said:

“We’re still in shock. If Simon had known what it was he wouldn’t have moved it.

“The police were horrified because he brought it home in the car and there are a lot of speed bumps in Knaresborough. But we didn’t know what it was.”

The bomb squad was called to Knaresborough this evening when an unexploded First World War bomb was found in the River Nidd.

Simon Briscombe, whose partner Rachel Wills owns the Watermill cafe, found what he initially thought to be a gas canister during a weekly litter pick.

But when he got home and cleaned the gunk off the item, which he found beneath Grimbald Bridge, he became suspicious.

The couple dialled 101 and after sending a photo, the bomb squad, police and firefighters rushed to their home at The Chase.

Rachel Wills and Simon Briscombe

Their house, along with about 30 others on the estate, was immediately evacuated while the bomb was taken away and a controlled explosion carried out nearby. The A59 was closed for about two hours.

Read more:

• Meet the Knaresborough woman who is a dog chaperone at weddings
• Knaresborough daredevil, 70, performs 50th skydive

Ms Wills said:

“We’re still in shock. If Simon had known what it was he wouldn’t have moved it.

“The police were horrified because he brought it home in the car and there are a lot of speed bumps in Knaresborough. But we didn’t know what it was.”

The bomb was wrapped in sandbags at the couple’s home for about an hour until the bomb squad arrived.

The bomb wrapped in sandbags at the couple’s home.

Ms Wills said:

“We do litter picks on our own every week and have found some really strange things — last week we found a sewing machine from 1898. But we’ve never found a bomb.

“In a way I’m relieved that we found it rather than a group of kids.”

Police close the road.