The Royal Navy Bomb Disposal Team have been in the West Wight this afternoon (Saturday) following the discovery of a piece of ordnance.
A member of the public found the item, described as a solid shell around 7 inches in diameter and the length of a beer can, on the beach at Alum Bay yesterday (Friday).
The Needles Coastguard Rescue Team were tasked to investigate the discovery and the Royal Navy’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team were alerted.
Officials took the decision to leave the object in situ overnight with the Portsmouth-based EOD team traveling over to the Island this afternoon to rendezvous with Needles CRT.
The military have now stood down from the incident.
UPDATE – It has been confirmed that a further 2 pieces of ordnance were discovered on Friday afternoon, with all 3 destroyed in a controlled explosion this afternoon.
A suspect object was found at Totland Bay, with another 2 objects located at nearby Alum Bay a short time afterwards.
The 2 pieces of ordnance at Alum Bay were deemed safe and were removed from the beach, but the original item at Totland Bay required detonation and a controlled explosion was carried out at 16:20. The 2 other items were thrown into the mix and destroyed at the same time.
If you or someone else is in difficulty on the coast or at sea, or if you spot what you think may be unexploded ordnance, then dial 999 and ask for the Coastguard. Further safety information can be found at https://coastguardsafety.campaign.gov.uk/.
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what3words have divided the world into 3m squares and given each square a unique combination of three words, which means when you are in a remote area of the Isle of Wight you can get assistance much quicker without the need for local knowledge.
