A local resident cleaning up illegally dumped waste near Solsqua-Sicamous Road needed more than a garbage bag when he found what appeared to be a military tank projectile.
Police say the discovery was reported on Monday, March 7. The person had been picking up yard waste and other waste from a roadside ditch when they found a military-like projectile among the debris. The 16-inch-long by four-inch-in-diameter find was described as a “tank shell.”
RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Dan Moskaluk said Sicamous RCMP officers responding to the report examined the shell and immediately contacted the Royal Canadian Armed Forces Navy Ordinance Disposal Unit at CFB Equimalt to attend and assess the item.
Moskaluk says the shell was removed and taken to a National Defence property in Vernon where it was safely disposed of.
The origins of the shell remain a mystery, says Moskaluk, and police are asking the public for any information on how the shell ended in the ditch.
“We understand that members of the public could possibly be in possession of collectible war memorabilia and be unsure of how to dispose of them; however, this was not the right way,” said Moskaluk.
The Sicamous detachment can be reached at 250-836-2878.