A SECOND World War hand grenade with the pin still in it brought a York city-centre street to a standstill.

The grenade was taken into Blue Moon Trading gun shop in Goodramgate at 1.40pm yesterday by a middle-aged woman who had been clearing out her late father’s home.

She carried it into the town centre in her handbag and told shop owner Stuart Sykes: “it’s a real one”.

Shop owner Stuart Sykes told The Press: “She said her father had recently died and he was an ex-military man – after the war a lot of them brought some stuff home with them.

“Her naivety was touching. She said ‘I think it still goes’ and I said ‘what!’.

“I didn’t want it, but if she had given it to someone else and they pulled the pin...”

Mr Sykes said the woman left the store and he placed the grenade – which was later found to have no explosive in it – on the counter and called the police who in turn called an Army bomb squad at Catterick.

“I thought I would play safe as I know as much about hand grenades as I do about hang gliding.

“I told the lady I would look after it for her, but I was rather concerned she had other things in the loft as I don’t think she had finished clearing out.”

Police called to the scene immediately set up a 20-metre cordon around the shop and evacuated neighbouring businesses after taking advice from the bomb squad.

Initially people were allowed to walk at the other side of the street, but officers then decided to err on the side of caution and closed the street off completely at 2.25pm.

Sgt Carol Horner of York Police, said: “From the numbers on the grenade it’s been confirmed that it is a live one believed to be from the Second World War.”

The Royal Logistics Corps bomb disposal team arrived at around 3.15pm.

Two members of the squad walked into the shop, but came out after just a couple of minutes. Unknown to the people watching they were actually carrying the grenade with them, which they confirmed was a dud as all the explosive material had been removed. The road was reopened minutes later.

Around a dozen shops were closed during the operation, including Mediterranean Barber Shop and the Snickleway pub, which had 15 drinkers inside.

Mesut Kara, of the barbers shop, said he was stunned about the incident. He said: “It’s the busiest street in York almost.

“Why did the woman bring it into the city? Why didn’t she take it to the police?”