Pupil Takes Artillery Shell To Show And Tell

Army bomb disposal teams were called to a primary school after a year five pupil took an artillery shell to show and tell.

Pupils were evacuated after the alarm was raised at St Margaret's Church of England Primary School in the village of Bowers Gifford, Essex.

The 250 youngsters at the school gathered at a safe distance while the 20cm (8-inch) artillery shell was taken to a nearby field.

Parents were asked to collect their children after the alert on Wednesday afternoon, before the army's explosives experts decided the device posed no danger.

A spokesman for St Margaret's Church of England School said: "We take the safety and wellbeing of all students extremely seriously.

"We took the precaution of calling police community support officers and then followed their expert advice."