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Explosives experts said the device appeared to be a fragmentation grenade with a blast range of up to 20 metres, but on closer inspection they confirmed it was a dummy item.

Strathclyde Fire and Rescue Service said the incident illustrated the dangers of unwittingly keeping dangerous objects in the home.

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Scottish mortality rates among working age men and women have been the worst in Western Europe since the late 1970s, a report has said.

The study examined changing mortality rates in Scotland and 19 other European countries between 1960 and 2010.

It highlighted concerning levels of mortality among 15 to 44-year-olds and older women in Scotland.

But there have been improvements in death rates for conditions such as heart disease, stroke and some cancers.

The study by the Glasgow Centre for Population Health (GCPH), said: "Mortality in the working-age population remains comparatively high and mortality for circulatory diseases and many cancer-related diseases is higher than in most other Western European countries.

"However, there have been notable improvements in Scottish mortality for a range of major conditions - both in terms of absolute trends and in relation to Scotland's relative position in a Western European context."

'No decline'

The Still the Sick Man of Europe? report highlighted how death rates among woman aged 75 and above have been the highest among the Western European countries featured in the study since 2002.

And it said there had "been no net improvement in mortality in this age group" since 1982 for men and since 1987 for women, which it described as "unusual".

All other 19 countries in the study, apart from Northern Ireland, saw reductions in this mortality rate.

Mortality in the 15-44 age group among women in 2009 was 46% higher in Scotland than in England and Wales, while for men in that group it was 54% higher.

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A new tourism campaign has been launched that encourages history enthusiasts to tour thing sites, ancient Norse meeting places.

Funded by the EU, the Thing Sites GeoTour involves Scotland, Norway, Iceland, the Faroes and Isle of Man.

It has been described as a treasure hunt in which visitors use GPS and mobile phone apps to uncover details about the locations.

Thing sites can be found in Shetland, Orkney and the Highlands and Islands.

This year archaeologists have been examining a thing buried under a car park in Dingwall, Ross-shire.

Lauren Doughton, place names assistant at Shetland Amenity Trust, said: "For our Norse ancestors the thing sites would have been a central location within their landscape.

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