AN Ipswich man today told how he put a bomb on the backseat of his car before driving to Queen's Way to do some shopping.Johnathan Ehlert sparked an evacuation of Fletcher Road when he alerted police to his unusual, and potentially explosive, discovery.

AN Ipswich man today told how he put a bomb on the backseat of his car before driving to Queen's Way to do some shopping.

Johnathan Ehlert sparked an evacuation of Fletcher Road when he alerted police to his unusual, and potentially explosive, discovery.

Earlier the father-of-one had found the 25-pound American practice bomb in his front garden when he drove over it with his car.

Mr Ehlert, 25, said: "When I tried reversing out of the garden there was something in the way so I just reversed faster and went over it.

"I picked it up and put it on the backseat of the car.

"I went to my dad's in Clapgate Lane and I went to Queen's Way shops."

At one stage the practice bomb, which is thought to have been used in tests by the US air force, rolled off the seat and landed on the floor behind the driver's seat.

Mr Ehlert said: "When it didn't go off that made me think it wasn't live.

"Later I spoke to my dad and he said he thought I should call the police to get it checked so I moved it to the bottom of the garden.

"The police said it could wipe out anything within five metres of it. It could have just gone bang and that would have been the end of me."

When police were called at 3.40pm yesterday officers evacuated residents from homes near to Mr Ehlert's, while other residents were asked to remain inside their houses with their curtains drawn.

Kenneth Wardley, who lives with his 86-year-old mother Doris next door to Mr Ehlert, said: "The police said 'there's a bomb in the garden next door and we don't know if it's live'.

"They said it was possible it was a dummy but they couldn't take any chances."

The street was cordoned off while bomb disposal experts were called in.

While not nearly as dangerous as a standard bomb, the 18-inch device could have contained a sound or smoke charge which bomb disposal experts who examined it said could have posed a serious danger to Mr Ehlert.

However the charges were found to have been spent and it no longer posed a danger.

It is not known where the bomb came from but police said it was possible someone who had somehow had the bomb as a souvenir had thrown it into the front garden from the street.

Mr Ehlert, a carer who lives with his girlfriend Kerri Velzian, 21, three-year-old daughter Zoe and his brother Simon, 24, said: "I'm still shaking from having it in the car.

"Before I knew what it was I was going to make a wind chime out of it."