Woman finds brand new grenade in backyard

CALGARY, Alberta (Reuters) - Canadian military and police are investigating after a package containing a brand new hand grenade, belonging to the army, was found in a suburban backyard, police said on Monday.

A woman in the Western Canadian city of Edmonton, Alberta, discovered the suspicious package on Sunday and took it to her local police station, where officers told her to carefully place it on the lawn.

Police called in the bomb squad, which determined the item was a grenade, still in its packaging and belonging to the Canadian military.

The technicians made sure the package was secure and called

military personnel in to dispose of the ordnance.

"It is quite unusual for someone to find a grenade in their

backyard, especially one that hasn't been spent," Edmonton police spokeswoman Patrycia Chalupczynska said.

"We want to advise people that if they ever do find something suspicious-looking, they shouldn't touch it -- just leave it alone and call police."

(Reporting by Jeffrey Jones; editing by Rob Wilson)