Emergency services shut off a road in south London after a live hand grenade was discovered in a charity shop.
Police and fire crews were called to Walworth Road in Southwark just before 9.30am to reports of a suspicious item at the Sense store.
Staff said they discovered the item this morning in a bag of donated goods.
A Sense spokesman said police were immediately called and inspected the device before it was removed from the shop.
It was later confirmed to be a live hand grenade.
Sense area manager, Sheron Adlam, said: “When we made the discovery we acted immediately and contacted the police who were fantastic in their response.
"Our staff and customers’ safety was our main concern. We see all sorts of donations made to the shop, but this is the first time we’ve had a grenade.”
The street was evacuated as police and fire crews cordoned off a section of the road.
Sales assistant Sammy Wu, 31, said: "Police notified us that we needed to evacuate because of a hand grenade in a charity shop.
"Everyone in other stores closed up and people on the streets were directed away from the area.
"The fire brigade arrived shortly and started preparing the hoses but about 45 minutes later it was declared safe again."
The road has since been reopened.
A Met spokeswoman said: "The incident was deemed non-suspicious and stood down at 10:30am."
