'Unexploded hand grenade' found next to major road in Kent

An Army bomb disposal team removed the device (not pictured) to be destroyed in a controlled explosion

Army bomb disposal experts have removed the grenade (not pictured) (Ministry of Defence)

A device believed to be an unexploded hand grenade has been found by a major road in Kent.

Police said they were called to the Hasted Road near Rochester, which forms part of the A289 dual carriageway, shortly after 1am on Saturday morning.

“The item was suspected to be an exploded hand grenade,” a spokesperson for Kent Police said.

“An army bomb disposal team arrived at 9am this morning and took it away to perform a controlled explosion.”

Police could not confirm how the explosive was found or what period it was believed to date from.

The Wainscott bypass was closed but has since been reopened, while roadworks continue in the area.

Unexploded bombs dropped during the Second World War have sparked several alerts in recent months, including one that forced hundreds of people to be evacuated after being found in a school playground in Bath.