THEY only intended to put up a new shed.

But after a Bournemouth man and his father-in-law started preparing the ground, they uncovered a fascinating and almost pristine little piece of Bournemouth's history - a Second World War bomb shelter.

The shelter has its own fireplace and chimney and even had some hangers in it, says Bruno Neri, a design engineering student who discovered the secret structure with his father-in-law, Jose Francisco Goncalves, at Mr Neri's home in Barnes Road, East Howe.

"We were removing the slabs to even the ground, then we found a gap under one of them," said Mr Neri.

"We started throwing soil under it when a rock fell in and we heard water dripping. We thought it was a sewage pipe or something at first, but there was no smell so we kept digging."

Soon the pair could see walls 'like a little corridor'.

"When we'd cleared enough space for me to slide in I had a look and there was a wall leading to a small room, around four meters by two meters by 1.8 meters in height," he said.

The chamber was filled with rubble and a few bottles and he saw the fireplace. "I realised what it was and felt a bit worried that maybe someone had been hurt and died under the rubble but everything was OK."

With the help of Mr Goncalves and Bruno's wife, Gabriella, Mr Neri carried on clearing the rubble which filled a 16 foot skip. After checking it for safety he invited his children, Jasmine, 6, and Brendan, 3, to explore.

"They really love it and are very interested in why it was built and what it was there for," he said. "Clearing it out has been our weekend activity for a few weeks now and we have really enjoyed it."

He now plans to build a shed over the shelter, with a trapdoor which can be used to access it, but would like to learn more about the family who used to live in the house during the war, or anyone who lived in Barnes Road and has memories of that time.

By coincidence February is the 80th anniversary of the Anderson Shelter, whose corrugated iron shape became synonymous with surviving The Blitz. However Mr Neri's shelter is a more substantial affair made from concrete.

*Do you have a Second World War bomb shelter in your garden? We know there are still loads around! If you love your shelter please send us a picture of it and a few lines about how you use it and we'll print them in an up-coming issue. And if you can help the Neris contact faitheckersall@bournemouthecho.co.uk