A FORMER gun club member has been cleared of having a "bomb kit" at his home.

Gordon Hudson, 58, was found not guilty of having an explosive substance in November and fought back tears as the jury delivered its verdict after the three-day trial at Burnley Crown Court.

He was discharged from the dock by Judge Pamela Badley.

Afterwards he told how his acquittal was the end of an almost year-long "nightmare," and said he and his wife Christine, who had sat in the public gallery throughout the proceedings, could now get on with their family life. He added he did not wish to say anything further.

Hudson, then of Townhouse Road, Nelson, but now of Chatburn Avenue, Burnley, had denied the allegation against him and told the jury he was merely fascinated with fireworks.

The prosecution had alleged police found ingredients for making a bomb, plus a book on how to do it, when they raided the defendant's home in the early hours.

The court had heard how officers discovered explosive powder, copper piping and possible detonators stashed away mainly in a cupboard under the stairs or in the attic.

They were also said to have found a floppy disc featuring literature about making explosives, entitled The Big Book of Mischief. A military thunderflash was also in the house, as well as weed killer, fireworks, ammunition and precise weighing scales.

The jury had heard Hudson told police there was an innocent explanation for each find taken individually and nothing sinister was going on - but the prosecution had alleged he had them to make a bomb.

Giving evidence, the defendant - a former member of Bury and Keswick Gun Clubs - said the powder found by police was used to reload spent rounds. He said he had dismantled a quantity of rocket fireworks as he was curious to see how the "stars," came out. He claimed the copper piping was in the attic when he bought the house.

Hudson told the court a television programme had explained how to make explosives from things found under the typical kitchen sink.

The defendant, who said he had worked on coalfaces and in quarries using explosives, said he didn't believe it was possible and his curiosity was aroused.

He added he had always been interested in explosives, but had never made a bomb, had no reason to and did not intend to.

David Dyson, a registered firearms dealer and expert witness in firearms and explosives told the court in his opinion the equipment could not have been used to make a bomb.

He went on:"There was nothing in these ingredients to suggest a bomb could be made. There was no detonator and the fuses were not of the right type."