SHOCKED Bishopbriggs residents have told of their horror as they watched Royal Navy bomb disposal descend on the area.

A bomb disposal team was called out after an item suspected to be an unexploded mortar was found in a canal.

Police responding to a report attended an area of the Forth and Clyde Canal in Bishopbriggs yesterday morning.

The canal path near the Leisuredrome Leisure Centre was cordoned off and the explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) team called.

Elaine Mulligan was walking her dog near Hilton Terrace when she spotted the police cordon.

She said: “I always come out quite early on a Sunday but I slept in this morning otherwise I’d have come face to face with whatever it was.

“I usually walk along the canal but there was tape everywhere and a policeman told me there was an ongoing incident so I couldn’t go down that way.

“I had no idea it was so serious until I saw the bomb disposal unit pull up.”

The quiet residential area is the home of the popular Leisuredrome complex.

One dad was on his way inside with his two young sons when he was told it was closed.

The man, who asked not to be named, said: “I saw the police tape but didn’t think it would be connected until I got to the front door and realised the centre was closed.

“We only live around the corner so we just walked home and waited half an hour but it’s quite unusual.”

Two weeks ago the bomb squad was called to Dalmarnock when a device believed to be a bomb was discovered in a building site.

Police and fire crews also attended the scene as a controlled explosion took place.

Nearby residents were told to stay away from their windows while Dalmarnock Road and railway station were shut down.

A Police Scotland spokeswoman said: “We were called at about 10.30am to a report of an item being found.

“The EOD team attended and the matter has been dealt with.”

Second World War ordinance devices are occasionally found during the course of building works, having lain undisturbed for decades.

Several have been found in Glasgow.

In 2016 stunned workers found a suspected grenade while carrying out repairs in a manhole in a residential street in Yoker.