Residents are being urged to take extra care when clearing out sheds, garages and lofts after Brunel Road Recycling Centre in Newton Abbot was closed and evacuated on Wednesday 3 June following the discovery of a suspected grenade.
As a precaution, the facility was evacuated and temporarily closed by Devon & Cornwall Police. Royal Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal experts attended and removed the item for safe disposal. No one was injured, and the site has since fully reopened.
Recycling centres across Devon have previously been forced to close after the discovery of suspicious or potentially dangerous items.
In January this year, Ivybridge Recycling Centre was evacuated after a tank shell was found. At other sites, staff have uncovered unexploded ordnance, marine flares, old ammunition and containers holding unknown chemicals.
Each incident requires a response from emergency services and disrupts both staff and residents using the facilities.
Residents are being asked to think carefully before bringing items to recycling centres, particularly if they are old, unlabelled, or could be mistaken for something hazardous.
Councillor Jacqi Hodgson, Cabinet Member responsible for waste services, said:
“Once again, we’ve had to close a centre because an item that appeared suspicious was brought onto site.
“These avoidable incidents waste the valuable time of emergency services, disrupt our staff, and inconvenience the public.
“Items such as flares, fireworks or ammunition must never be brought to our recycling centres.
“Taking simple precautions helps keep everyone safe. “I’d like to thank our site staff, the police and the Royal Navy for their swift response.”
