THE new occupants of a Lowton home alerted the authorities yesterday after finding an old grenade in the property.

On Sunday, May 12, residents witnessed officers from Greater Manchester Police, the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Squad, the North West Ambulance Incident Response Unit, and the Army Bomb Disposal Team descending on a residential street in Lowton.

The emergency service presence was due to an "unexploded WWII grenade" being found in the shed of a property along Bradwell Road.

The "suspicious item" was reported at around 12.50pm on Sunday, and it is understood that the discovery was made by the new occupants of the house.

While the emergency service searched the property and examined the object, a precautionary cordon of 100m was erected and neighbours were asked to remain inside their homes.

Officers explained that there was no wider threat to the public.

The grenade was then safely transferred to a rural location where the Bomb Disposal Team successfully conducted a controlled explosion.

A Greater Manchester Police spokesperson said: "At around 12.50pm on Sunday, May 12, officers received a report of a suspicious item in a shed at an address on Bradwell Road, Wigan.

"There is no threat to the wider public [and] residents in the immediate area were advised to remain indoors while emergency services carried out their work."