THIS WEEK IN 1980: West German stink bombs were deemed dangerous for children

Mr Alfred Randell, assistant caretaker at Warblington School, with a small carton which contained potentially dangerous stink bombs

Sixty-year-old Alfred Randell, pictured, was horrified to find that West German stink bombs, apparently let off at his school, contained ammonia.

He then urged parents to make sure their children were not carrying what he described as ‘a very dangerous box of tricks.’

The assistant caretaker of the Warblington Comprehensive School, Havant, found three empty stink bomb cartons in the playground.

On them were printed the warnings ‘contains ammonia – avoid contact with eyes and prolonged contact with skin,’ and ‘keep out of the reach of children.’

Mr Randell, who lived at Mill Lane, Langstone, said there had been instances of children letting off the bombs at school.

He took a matchbox-sized carton home and believed it could have come from a party of West German pupils who visited the school before Christmas.

First aid instructions on the box – which carried no maker’s name – said skin should be washed with vinegar, and eyes with warm water, while medical attention was crucial.