Bomb disposal experts from Portsmouth are on the Isle of Wight this morning (Friday) to investigate and potentially detonate a piece of suspected ordnance at Yaverland.
As first reported by Island Echo, Bembridge Coastguard Rescue Team was called out to the beach at Yaverland near Sandown yesterday afternoon when 2 local lads discovered a suspicious looking object resembling a mortar.
Coastguard Rescue Officers quickly arrived on scene and sent photographs to the Royal Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal team, who have deemed the object to be potentially a viable explosive.
The incident was handed over to the Police who have remained on scene throughout the night.
Bomb Disposal Experts are now assessing the object with a view to carrying out a controlled explosion.
The discovery was made close to where a grenade was found last year.
UPDATE @ 08:56 – The device has, in the past few minutes, been successfully detonated by means of a controlled explosion.
Just heard a loud bang so presumably it was a mortar and has been safely detonated.
A loud bang? Given the boredom we are suffering these days, could the loud bang have come from your neighbor’s…
Looks like a very rusty main shaft from a gearbox
Agreed. It certainly doesn’t look like any of the images of WWII mortar rounds I can find (Allied or Axis)
Probably just as well if was a lump of old gearbox because putting that powerful transmitter next to a potentially unstable explosive device was a slightly risky thing to do.
is war most you Britain think of. think hurted fish blow up by bomb now insted
Back to school maybe?
Yes, Paul – you can clearly see various helical gears and even some syncromesh rings. It would seem to me, therefore, that the bomb disposal ‘experts’ decided to blow it up anyway merely as a excercise!
Stay safe . . .
Yes exactly good training exercise, Yes you and everyone else stay safe
Looks like a top of a iron fence post, what was left after explosion?