Pensioner Reg Webber, 84, has told of his disbelief when police and bomb disposal experts raided his house in Trowbridge after being tipped off that he was hoarding explosives.

Instead all they found were paintball guns and equipment owned by his grandson.

Police and experts from the Royal Army Ordnance Corps at Tidworth in descended on Mr Webber’s house in Frome Road on Friday evening – the day before his 84th birthday – after being told of suspicious powders.

A 33-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of unlawfully possessing explosives and taken to Melksham Police Station, but later released on bail.

A police spokesman said: “He has been released on police bail pending further inquiries. At the address a quantity of inert substances was found and the Explosives Ordnance Department are assisting the police in the recovery of these substances.”

But Mr Webber said everything taken away from his house belonged to his paintball-mad grandson and has complained to police about the raid.

He said: “We got home about 7.30pm and within about 10 minutes the police were at the door. It was a complete shock. My grandson took them upstairs so they could check the paintball guns and make sure they were all legal.

“There were all these vans outside the house, including bomb disposal, but there was nothing illegal there.

“The neighbours were probably wondering what on earth was going on.

“I had to leave the house while they searched and I wasn’t allowed back in until Sunday. If they had just asked then we could have helped them.”

He has written to complain to the Chief Constable about the way the search was handled after he found a picture frame and other items damaged.

He added: “It was all a bit of a farce really and it was my birthday on Saturday as well. But I wasn’t really thinking about that. The substance was just powder used for harmless paint grenades.

“They said that the powder could be used to make a bomb with two or three more substances. But he just mixes it with baking soda to make smoke grenades for paintballing.”

A police spokesman said they had received Mr Webber’s complaint and were looking into it.

  • Dave George, manager of Skirmish Paintball Games, said that powders are used to make smoke grenades used in the sport.

They are used to produce smoke screens to shield paintball players from enemies, and produce a smoke that is harmless.

Mr George added: “The grenades can be made with a variety of different things, including powder and paint, while there are also Mk 5 flashbang grenades, which can produce a small, harmless explosion.”