At this time of year many gardeners will be digging up seasonal vegetables such as carrots, parsnips and beetroots.

So imagine Liz Daniels’ surprise when, in her Dartford back garden, she unearthed a hidden secret with much deeper roots.

For the 44-year-old discovered a concrete air raid shelter buried under the lawn at her home in The Brent.

“I moved into the flat in December and the garden was a state,” said Miss Daniels.

“I’ve since had the rubbish cleared and I had a gardener in to start digging it over. But all he was doing was hitting concrete and voids.

“A hole then appeared and we were worried about it so called out Dartford council building control who confirmed what we thought, that we had found an air raid shelter.”

With the help of her son, James Dye, and his pals, Alfie Brown and Liam Brain, the perimeter of the shelter has been revealed, together with the main doorway and what is thought to be an emergency exit.

Their excitement at uncovering such an important part of local history was slightly dampened when they realised it was full of water but it did not stop 20-year-old painter and decorator James and his friends wading in to see what lay beneath the surface.

“We have found oil drums, toy cars, even a part of an old pram that was all twisted up,” said Miss Daniels, who works in Mothercare at Bluewater.

“We have also found old newspapers from 1968. It looks like someone decided to just fill it all in but left the door open so it has filled with water. We have baled out loads of water ourselves but it must hold thousands of litres.”

The bomb shelter takes up most of Miss Daniels’ share of the garden at the converted Victorian property, which backs on to Hesketh Park where a memorial and bench stand in tribute to Second World War Spitfire pilot Sgt Trevor Oldfield who was shot down on September 27, 1940.

She believes the steps into the entrance may be in the half of the garden belonging to the occupants of the downstairs flat, and said other neighbours in The Brent are now wondering what lies beneath their lawns.

The property is owned by the Salvation Army, which visited the discovery last week and has decided to have it inspected by a structural engineer.

Miss Daniels hopes it will be preserved, and said she would make a feature of it by turning its roof into a patio area.

“James said it is a piece of history and cannot wait to dig it out.

“I have said it should be preserved but whether it can be or not, it should be cleared of the mud, water and rubbish to find out its past.”