AN UNEXPLODED weapon from the Second World War is believed to have been unearthed in a quiet Oxfordshire village.

Residents of the village of Drayton located two miles south of Abingdon may have been woken up by a thundering noise at 7.30am yesterday when experts from the Ministry of Defence and Thames Valley Police officers disposed of the device safely.

After locating the old ordnance in a field on Sunday Thames Valley Police alerted residents about the potential noise.

Police spokesperson Mel Reedman said: "There is nothing to be concerned about and there is no threat or danger to the public.

"We just wanted to let you know that if you do hear a loud noise, this is due to the fact that the item is being safely disposed of."

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However, former Vale of the White Horse district councillor Mike Badcock who resides in the area claimed he did not hear an explosion in the early hours of yesterday.

Mr Badcock who has an avid interest in military matters, explained that he was not aware if a bomb in Drayton.

The former councillor speculated that it could have been anything from a Second World War unexploded bomb to a grenade that someone had disposed of there.

It is unknown who came across the device and in what circumstances. However, most of the high explosive Second World War ordnance is buried very deep and it is often stumbled upon by construction workers.

While this in not an uncommon occurrence, some villagers were quick to worry about the ordnance.

In 2018, a bomb was discovered at Drayton Recycling Centre near Abingdon, and safely detonated at the nearby Drayton Park Golf Club.

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According to official figures, the bomb squad from the Ministry of Defence was involved with the safe disposal of more than 450 German bombs from the Second World War between 2010 and 2018 – with an average of about 60 per year.