Bomb squad called to suspicious object in South Cambridgeshire village – near gas pipeline

The bomb squad was called to Ickleton after the discovery of a suspicious device lying close to a gas pipeline.

A cordon was set up in the village as the Army’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team assessed the find in a field near Ickleton Road.

It is believed a farmer working in the field discovered the suspicious object and alerted police.

The Cambridge Independent understands a high pressure gas pipeline runs through the area, feeding to a national distribution point on the other side of trees, which would have complicated any plans to conduct a controlled explosion. However, having moved the device to another field to inspect it, the EOD team determined it was not ordnance.

Police advised people to steer clear of the area while investigations were under way.

Engineers from Cadent Gas, which manages 82,000 miles of pipes across the country, also attended.

The national distribution point can be seen on the right of the map below, while the object was found in a field opposite, not far from the M11.

The bomb disposal team extended the cordon before moving the metal object to a nearby field for further inspection, which showed that it was not dangerous.

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An Army spokesperson said: “I can confirm that an Army EOD team from Colchester Troop, 621 EOD Sqn, 11 EOD&S Regt, attended a location near Duxford at the request of Cambridgeshire police.

“The item was identified as non-ordnance.”

A Cambridgeshire police spokesperson earlier told the Cambridge Independent: “We were called at 8.30am this morning (May 22) to a report of a suspicious object in a field near Ickleton Road. A cordon has been set up as a precaution while the Explosive Ordnance Disposal team attend and assess.”

Stagecoach said its number 7 bus was diverted as it could not serve the village of Ickleton while the cordon was in place.

Ordnance and landmines have turned up in the area around what was RAF Duxford, and which is now home to the Imperial War Museum.

In Whittlesford last year, ordnance thought to be from planes returning to the airfield during the Second World War was found.

And in 2021, a 17-year-old metal detectorirst found a Tellerman 35 German anti-tank mine landmine in woods close to the Imperial War Museum Duxford.

A 250-metre cordon was thrown up as the Army dealt with the device.

Thankfully, this time, the metal object proved to be harmless.