BOMB disposal experts have been searching a family garden in a small Suffolk village where three potentially dangerous World War Two shells were recently discovered.

BOMB disposal experts have been searching a family garden in a small Suffolk village where three potentially dangerous World War Two shells were recently discovered.

Russell and Nicola Taylor, of Barrow Hill, Acton, were clearing the bottom of their garden earlier this month when they made an alarming discovery.

Bomb disposal experts from Colchester barracks were called and discovered the majority of the finds turned out to be harmless cartridges.

But it has now been revealed three 20mm World War Two shells, which could possibly still be detonated if hit too hard, were also found in the garden.

After consultations with the Ministry of Defence, Babergh District Council has employed bomb disposal experts to carry out a thorough search of the garden to ensure it is cleared of potential dangers.

Mr and Mrs Taylor, and their three children, have now been banished from the garden until the search, which is expected to last until the end of the week, is complete.

Mr Taylor said: "The experts have sealed of a large part of the garden and dug about three foot deep, but apart from scrap metal they haven't found anything else yet.

"It is a bit inconvenient, but it has to be done because with young children we want to ensure there is nothing else potentially explosive down there.

"We think there is probably something there because we have found lots of little shells and couple of bigger things which were taken away by the bomb disposal experts last time.

"We have been told some of the shells would be strong enough to take a toddlers hand off if it went, so we are glad Babergh is making sure the garden is safe."

Babergh's senior repairs officer Allan Hardy said: "After consultations with the MOD we have employed a specialist team of bomb disposal experts to carefully sift through the garden to see if there is anything explosive in the ground.

"We will continue to seal off the area until the experts are confident the site can be declared safe. Although what has been found so far is not a great danger, we think three of the shells found could have possibly still been detonated if hit to hard."

Mr Hardy says it is believed a young child who used to live in the property had collected the shells from a former American airbase in nearby Great Waldingfield, just after the war.

It is also believed the boy's father buried the shells in the garden after discovering them in his son's bedroom.