Police Avert Banger Threat
By Linda White-Jones
Retired decorators, Mr and Mrs Blenkinsopp, of Woking, say they were “stunned” yesterday when a team of armed police officers smashed down their kitchen door and seized the breakfast Georgina Blenkinsopp, 49, was preparing.
Unaware that recent legislation, designed to combat terrorist DIY bomb-making, makes it an offence to serve a breakfast comprising, in part or in whole, the constituent parts of “Black Powder”, Mrs Blenkinsopp watched in amazement as bomb disposal officers carefully removed the breakfast from the table. The breakfast had, apparently, been reported to police by the Blenkinsopp’s concerned next-door neighbour.
“Black powder (also known as gunpowder) is a rapidly deflagrating material and can be used as an explosive,” says Captain Prendergast, of the Met’s Tactical Reaction Group. “So we isolated the component parts and removed them to a safe location for disposal.
“The breakfast contained a number of severely burnt sausages – a ready source of charcoal, and this, combined with some particularly sulphurous beans and tomatoes, and the potassium nitrate in the bacon could provide the basis for a crude terror weapon. We dread to think what might have happened if this breakfast had fallen into the hands of extremists.”
Having accepted a formal caution, no further action is to be taken against the couple. “It’ll be Weetabix for us from now on,” smiled a relieved Mrs Blenkinsopp.
Unaware that recent legislation, designed to combat terrorist DIY bomb-making, makes it an offence to serve a breakfast comprising, in part or in whole, the constituent parts of “Black Powder”, Mrs Blenkinsopp watched in amazement as bomb disposal officers carefully removed the breakfast from the table. The breakfast had, apparently, been reported to police by the Blenkinsopp’s concerned next-door neighbour.
“Black powder (also known as gunpowder) is a rapidly deflagrating material and can be used as an explosive,” says Captain Prendergast, of the Met’s Tactical Reaction Group. “So we isolated the component parts and removed them to a safe location for disposal.
“The breakfast contained a number of severely burnt sausages – a ready source of charcoal, and this, combined with some particularly sulphurous beans and tomatoes, and the potassium nitrate in the bacon could provide the basis for a crude terror weapon. We dread to think what might have happened if this breakfast had fallen into the hands of extremists.”
Having accepted a formal caution, no further action is to be taken against the couple. “It’ll be Weetabix for us from now on,” smiled a relieved Mrs Blenkinsopp.
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