THERE was a case of mistaken identity down at Wanstead Flats this week when the bomb squad was called in to defuse part of a lorry.

The series of potentially explosive events began when a team of rubbish clearers from the City of London Corporation found what they thought was an unexploded Second World War bomb in Alexandra Lake, opposite the City of London cemetery.

But any shell-shock quickly disappeared on Tuesday afternoon when experts identified the rather scary looking device as part of the suspension of a lorry.

And the drama didn't end there as just minutes after the bomb squad's negative diagnosis a gun wrapped inside a carrier bag was discovered.

Although forest maintenance workers can often discover knives, handbags and mobile phones in the aftermath of robberies, the discovery of the gun was a first.

PS Dave Burch from Ilford police was on the case just minutes after the discovery. He said: "The gun is blank and is possibly a starting pistol. But it could have been used in a hold up and you wouldn't know the difference.

"I will take it back to the station where records will be searched to see if it matches any descriptions of firearms used in crimes."

Of the bomb, Forest Keeper Alison O'Connor said: "It's better to be safe than sorry. The Germans dropped lots of bombs in this area and whenever we find something like this we report it to the bomb squad immediately. But I think it's quite safe now."