Lancashire Police have confirmed a World War II grenade detonator was found in Darwen yesterday, with a bomb squad blowing up the item.

The Army Bomb Disposal team were called to Darwen town centre yesterday afternoon (Saturday, April 27) by Lancashire Police. 

Police officers cordoned off Darwen Market Square at Railway Road, Church Street and Croft Street at around 2pm. 

The bomb squad moved the World War II grenade detonator to a safe distance and blew it up. 

Local reports said a grenade had been discovered in a package handed in to the Heritage Centre in the town centre.

A spokesperson for Lancashire Police said: "At around 1:40pm yesterday (Saturday April 27) a member of the public approached one of our officers on duty, to make them aware of an item they were concerned about.

"The item – a suspected World War II grenade detonator – had been in the family for a number of years and the informant had recently been advised to seek police advice on its safety.

"Officers, accompanied by the Explosive Ordinance Disposal team attended, assessed the item and removed it to ensure there was no wider threat to the public.

"We have now lifted the cordons we had in place whilst we investigated and want to thank the public for their cooperation.

"These instances can be potentially dangerous, as well as resource intensive for our response officers so whilst we appreciate the inconvenience it causes, we want to make sure it's handled safely and efficiently."

The incident occurred while the Crafty Vintage Artisan Market took place on the market square. 

Stallholders were told to evacuate the area as police took control of the scene. 

Laura Johnson, who runs Crafty Vintage, which held the artisan market, said: "We are just waiting for police direction for the stallholders to go back in.

"It was an amazing day, it was bright, buzzing, we had the square with lots of people here, lots of entertainment.

"We just had to clear the square and let the professionals in."