Newport police station on the Isle of Wight was evacuated today after a member of the public brought a live hand grenade to the front counter.

An elderly woman brought the device into the station after finding it when she was clearing a derelict house at the nearby village Gunville. The firing pin was disturbed at some point between the grenade being found and its arrival at the police station.

Roads were closed at High Street and Quay Street and the public were told to stay clear of the area.

Workers in county hall were moved to the rear of their buildings while the council's housing services office next to the police station was also evacuated.

A bomb disposal team from the mainland were called out, but road closures were expected to be in place for several hours.