A Norwich teacher discovered a pile of Second World War mortars when she stopped for a toilet break while walking in the woods.

Karen Woodhouse was enjoying a stroll with her family on Wednesday in Horsford woods when she stopped to relieve herself.

The 47-year-old, who teaches at White Woman Lane Junior School in Sprowston, saw the tail end of a mortar sticking out of the ground.

The mother-of-four said: 'There was a little dump of about 10 of these things. I had perched right on top of them.

'It was bit of a shock really to be sitting there and to see them – you don't expect it.

'I guess because it was off the beaten track the chances of coming across them were quite remote.

'I was in the right place to see them.'

Mrs Woodhouse was walking with her eight-year-old son Ben, eight-year-old niece Natasha, brother Michael, dad Richard Belson, mum Bridget and sister-in-law Annette at the time who was visiting from Leicester.

They took a piece which looked like the rusted tail of a mortar home and called the police to tell them about it.

Officers confirmed they were Second World War devices and later cordoned off the area.

On Thursday afternoon a bomb disposal crew headed into Horsford to destroyed the mortars with a controlled explosion. They are believed to have been dumped when the woods were used as a firing range in the 1940s. There is still a shooting range on the site.

The mortars were found on land owned by the Forestry Commission, half a mile from the car park on Green Lane. A police spokeswoman confirmed they visited the woods at 10.20am on Thursday and called the bomb disposal squad who detonated the devices.

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