Ljubljana, July 25 (Xinhua) -- A World War II air bomb was successfully deactivated in a forest near village of Vurberk in the north-eastern Slovenian on Tuesday, allowing the locals resume their normal life.

The 250kg U.S. bomb, according to the Slovenian Press Agency (STA), was discovered by a villager near Vurberk Castle by a metal detector last week while he was playing a treasure hunt game with his kids.

Instead of notifying authorities right away, he transported the device to his home yard, jeopardising the lives of his family and of his neighbours.

Stanislav Lotric, from the Civil Protection and Disaster Relief Administration, was quoted by STA report as saying that Tuesday's operation went according to plans with virtually no impact on the environment.

The bomb was first removed from the finder's home and placed into a hole dug out 30 meters away, where it was dismantled by members of the unexploded ordnance protection unit.

The operation started after the area in a radius of one kilometre from the bomb was evacuated, said the STA report.

The area comprises 150 houses with more than 450 residents but considering that many are away on holidays, the local authorities estimate only just over a hundred actually had to leave their homes.