BOMB disposal experts ensured a weekend Easter egg hunt in Holford ended with a bang when a father-of-three spotted what he believed was a hand grenade lying in the grass.

Police were called in and shut the nearby A39 at Woodlands Hill while the bomb squad carried out a controlled explosion on the suspicious device.

Although police were unable to confirm whether it was a hand grenade, the bomb squad took no chances, especially as Holford used to be home to an American Army base during World War Two.

Thankfully no-one was injured in the drama, which unfolded towards the end of an Easter egg hunt organised by members of Stowey Bears Pre-School.

The 'eggsplosive' finale came after dad Stuart Moffatt spotted a three-year-old standing on the suspicious device.

The child thought it was a rock and was calmly persuaded to move away from the area by parents and pre-school staff.

Mr Moffatt, who lives in Holford with his wife Victoria and children Nelly, Isla and Freddie, said he was shocked by the discovery.

"It's the last thing you could possibly want to find with children about," he said.

"We were beginning to count up the eggs at the end of the hunt and I saw a boy of three standing on an object.

"On closer inspection we realised it looked like a hand grenade. It was brown and about three or four inches high."

About 25 children, aged between two and five, had been at the hunt, just yards from the A39.

Police officers put a 100-metre cordon in place and alerted members of the Army's Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team, who rushed straight to the scene.

The road was closed for several hours between Nether Stowey and Kilve, with holiday traffic and lorries diverted along the A358 between Taunton and Williton.

Inspector Mike Ashwin of Avon and Somerset Constabulary said: "Closing the road was not a decision we took lightly but public safety is always our primary concern with incidents such as these.

"I appreciate it caused disruption to motorists, especially over the holiday weekend, and drivers were advised to avoid the area and leave extra time for their journey."

The police later confirmed the suspected grenade had been destroyed in a controlled explosion.