Residents in a small Essex village were evacuated last night after World War Two incediary devices were unearthed in a garden.

AN army bomb disposal team is returning to a rural Essex village this morning to deal with World War Two incendiary devices found buried in a back garden.

Firefighters are also expected to attend the scene in Banters Lane, Great Leighs, after the unusual discovery yesterday afternoon sparked a chemical alert.

At about 4pm a householder digging in his garden unearthed some old bottles giving off a foul stench and releasing smoke.

The police were called in and then a bomb disposal team, who cordoned off the area and evacuated nearby residents.

People living in a number of houses close to the site were able to return to their homes to collect belongings and use the village hall as they sought alternative accommodation.

Several fire crews also attended the scene and Assistant Divisional Officer Pete Little said three people were treated by paramedics after inhaling fumes from the bottles.

He said: “The bomb disposal experts have confirmed that these are phosphorous incendiary devices of a kind that were given to the Home Guard during the war by the Government.

“It appears they had been buried in a dry pond for many years.”

He added: “We are not entirely sure at this stage how army experts will dispose of the devices but I believe they will be buried in a skip of sand and removed.”