Police issued an urgent “stay away” notice at a popular beauty spot in Lancashire after the discovery of suspected “grenade type” devices.
A bomb disposal team raced to Rivington Reservoir on Saturday morning after two members of the public are understood to have found the alarming objects and called emergency services. The spot, located just outside Bolton, was due to welcome hundreds of visitors over the Easter bank holiday weekend, but was cordoned off from around 8am with police, ambulances, and fire services on scene to investigate the devices. Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service urged members of the public to steer clear of the area, saying in a post on Facebook: “Good morning. We just wanted to let you know that there is an ongoing incident at Rivington, there is a cordon in place at the moment and we would ask you to stay away from the area for now while the emergency services deal with the situation. Thanks for your understanding and cooperation.”
Uniformed figures were spotted carrying out works along the banks of the reservoir, inside the cordoned off area. A Lancashire Police spokesperson said in an initial statement: “We are currently an incident at Rivington after a member of the public found what are suspected to be two grenade type devices. The items were found at the side of Rivington reservoir at shortly before 8am today (Saturday, April 19th). We are at the scene and a team from Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) are on route.
“There is a cordon in place at the moment and we would ask you to stay away from the area for now while we deal with the situation. We will update you further when we can. Thanks for your understanding and cooperation.”
The Rivington Reservior is a popular walking spot for locals dating back to the 1850s. Emergency services blocked Horrobin Lane and redirecting traffic away from the resevoir as they carried our their enquiries, Manchester Evening News reports. An incident response unit ambulance was also present on scene.
The devices are believed to have been spotted at the Upper Rivington Reservoir, closer to Chorley. The area is situated centrally in the Rivington chain of reservoirs, on the West Pennine Moors in Lancashire, between Rivington and Anglezarke.
Lancashire Police later said the objects are believed to be “training grenades” dating back from the 1940s-1960s. A spokesperson said: “We told you earlier that we and emergency service partners were at Rivington Reservoir following the discovery of two grenade type devices earlier this morning and we wanted to give you an update.
“A team from Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) have attended the site on Horrobin Lane and assessed the devices which appear to be training grenades from the 1940s-1960s. They were previously deactivated and posed no threat. The cordon has now been stood down and the area is open again for public access.
“Many thanks for your cooperation and understanding while we and our partners dealt with the incident.”
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