FIVE houses in Cwmbran, were evacuated for around an hour yesterday after a resident thought he discovered an unexploded bomb in his back garden.

The worrying discovery was made as he worked in his garden in Woodland Road but, after Gwent Police's explosive ordnance division was called, it was found to be the shell of a mortar with no explosive in it.

A neighbour, who did not want to be named, said: "It must've been quite a shock, but it was a nice day to be outside." She added: "A lot of the area around here has been redeveloped, with houses knocked down and rebuilt, so who knows what is under the ground altogether."

A Gwent Police spokeswoman said they received a call from a resident at 11.50am, who thought they had found an explosive.

Woodland Road was cordoned off, with residents in five houses evacuated as a precaution.

The force's explosive ordnance division was called to the scene, with officers investigating the discovery as residents watched from behind the cordon.

A police spokeswoman added: "They confirmed it was the shell of a mortar bomb that had no explosive in it."