Jail for TV science fan who made pipe bombs

Michael Thomas, 40, was part of a group of friends who made six pipe bombs before taking them to a remote quarry in Corsham, Wiltshire, to detonate.

One of the devices was blown up inside a microwave in a re-enactment of an experiment in the show, which has been presented by Richard Hammond and comedian Vic Reeves.

However, the group forgot to detonate one of the pipe bombs and it was unwittingly carried home in an Adidas sports bag by Thomas, who placed it in his shed following the outing in 2006.

Bristol Crown Court heard Thomas separated from his wife in 2010 and on August 17 last year, she decided to clear out his shed.

Police were called when the woman, who was not named in court proceedings, spotted a copper pipe and green cord poking out from the sports bag.

Eighty homes close to the shed, described as being in a “built-up area”, were evacuated for five hours while an Army bomb disposal squad used a robotic device to examine the bag.

It was taken to a remote location nearby and safely detonated.

Thomas, who is in a new relationship and the father of two young children, was arrested and admitted a charge of making an explosive substance.

Judge Michael Roach told the stock controller that those “reckless enough” to build such devices – despite not having a sinister motive – should go to prison.

“The consequence of that discovery were sufficient not only to excite the police but also the bomb squad,” the judge said.

“A street had to be evacuated and people had to be looked after at a nearby supermarket. There’s no doubt at all that this is a serious offence.”