Watch 62 World War Two grenades blown up after three-day operation in Northampton village

Police have revealed WHY it took three days to make a Northampton village safe after the discovery of 62 World War Two grenades.

Around 20 residents of Quinton were back in their homes on Wednesday night (March 30) — some for the first time since Monday (March 28).

The emergency was sparked when a JCB uncovered explosives outside one of the homes.

Two families moved into a nearby hotel while others were evacuated daily while bomb squad experts worked to dispose of the explosives.

The operation finally ended when the 62 grenades were blown up in a skip.

Inspector Alasdair Fraser, who heads the Northamptonshire Police joint operations team, said: "It has taken three days to recover the devices safely and work with military search teams using ground penetrating radar to make sure there are no grenades left in the location where digging is going on.

"Our operation had been about making [the area] safe so home owners can return and continue to work without any concerns about other devices being found.

"Things have had to be done safely and slowly with fire crews protecting the bomb disposal team.

"The grenades were put into a large skip and a controlled explosion carried out once we were absolutely sure we had got predictions right about where smoke would go.

"I'd like to say thank you very much to the residents of Quinton for their perseverance and support.

"We know it's been incredibly inconvenient and some have had to stay in hotels and some have had to stay out the whole day.”