East Kent Times and Mail, Wednesday 17 September 1975.

Army squad blow-up 'bomb’.

CUSTOMERS fled from the public bar of the "East Hill" pub in Northdown-road, Cliftonville, on Friday night when a suspected parcel bomb was spotted on the floor.

Police were called and discovering that the brown paper package had wires sticking out of it, they carefully moved the parcel into the alleyway at Clifton-place behind the pub.

An Army disposal team from Rochester arrived about midnight and detonated the parcel, which turned out not to contain any explosive.

Licensee Mr. John Potter was on holiday with his wife in Bristol at the time. He returned on Monday.

"Some Margate friends called in to see us on Sunday and told us what had happened. I was definitely worried because my wife is Irish and, with the terrible things happening everywhere today, you naturally fear the worst," he said.

I don't think many people in the pub at the time were aware of what was going on, which perhaps was just as well. But the customers who did spot the object acted quickly and quietly and I am grateful to them," added Mr. Potter.