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Vic: Dropped mortar a shell of its old self, thankfully

03 Nov 2008 1:46 AM
Vic: Dropped mortar a shell of its old self, thankfully

MELBOURNE, Nov 3 AAP - A woman almost sparked a full-scale emergency when she dropped an old mortar shell on her concrete driveway in central Victoria yesterday.

The woman, of the Bendigo suburb of Epsom, found an old mortar shell in theshed about 3.15pm (AEDT) and, unaware of what she was holding, carried it outside to the driveway, police said.

"She had been in the shed and she found the device in a box. She carried itout and dropped it in the driveway," Senior Constable Wayne Wilson told AAP.

Fortunately, the mortar did not go off.

A visitor to the house, thought to be the woman's daughter, saw the shell and called police, he said.

"Police were called and tentatively looked at the device from a distance," he said.

"Thanks to modern technology, they sent a photograph to the army.

"They said it was safe and took it away to add to their collection."

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