A 50-metre cordon has been erected around the Co-Operative in Freshwater this morning (Tuesday) due to the discovery of a flare.
Police have evacuated the store on Afton Road after a large distress flare was found earlier on today.
It’s thought that Bomb Disposal experts from Portsmouth have been called to the scene to safely remove the device, which poses a threat to public safety.
The cordon is expected to remain in place for several hours.
UPDATE @ 10:42 – Island Echo understands the device is a smoke distress marker used in the marine environment. It has been discovered beside a bin in the main car park of The Co-Operative.
Bomb Disposal experts from Portsmouth are en-route to the scene to assess and deal with the object.
Nearby businesses have been evacuated and Afton Road is closed in both directions.
UPDATE @ 11:58 – Police have confirmed that the cordon has now been lifted and the flare will be taken by the EOD team to Freshwater Bay for detonation.
It’s been confirmed that the item is a C2A2 Marine Location Marker, which contains phosphorus. This is highly combustible, potentially explosive and rather toxic.
A distress flare? Just pick it up and secure it somewhere safe. The world has gone mad.
We are living in such a snowflake society imagine during World War II a flare going off in a local shop you would have the local heroes the old boys just simply wrapping it up in a bit a newspaper soaking it with water and throwing it away; But in today’s society we have to get the bomb score from Portsmouth God knows how much this has cost the taxpayer and we have to have copious amounts of police etc ….
You would need to bury it in a barrel of sand. If you put water anywhere need one of those when they go off, the phosphorus burns so hot it separates the hydrogen and oxygen in the water which feeds the flame and makes it burn even hotter, often with a loud band when the hydrogen combusts.
Just someone buying bangers and mash.
Probably going to make a toad in a hole. The taste would explode in your mouth.
All the negative feedback sense of humour failure no wonder everyone is unhappy. don’t worry be happy.
And have it go off in your hand.
I assume you posted that before the picture was shown? Don’t want that going off whilst carrying it. Best be safe than sorry. If it went of could shoot up the road. It’s a big one!
Must have seen the prices at coop these days lol
Agree, how can the co-op ,a not for profit store ,charge twice/three times as much for same product that the for profit stores. Clearly the rich upper class ,only ever tried store in Freshwater once £9 .35 , same in others around £4 ,and French stick was dry and hard. Shame poor families in Freshwater have no other choice Lidl or Aldi and they would be well off, family of 4 would save £4-£5000 a year.
NO OTHER CHOICE??????? order online or failing that get on the bloody bus!!!!!! whats the big deal i dont get it everyone in freshwater seems to have an aversion to leaving the place i mean really?? Newport is not that far away!!!!!! if you are getting ripped off in freshwater then quite frankly its your own fault cause if its costing you that much to shop then the bus fare is nothing really…………………………… #Donkeys
They profit the same as Tesco.
Holding the retail space locally so elderly and locals with out transport are forced to buy there.
Its Capitalism. I support that in principle but the crony cartel capitalism we suffer under must end.
Look what its doing to your children and grand children.
Your triple lock and house price inflation is forcing them to live in vans.
So sad.
Not surprised prices coop charge
I’ve got an vid or my m8 and I behind the co op of it
gave them something to do i guess.
now if it was a bomb that destroyed the coop i would be waving a flag and dancing in the street as long as no one was hurt that is.
The thing is, it looks like a distress flare and it probably is a distress flare but unfortunately in this day and age we cannot take it for granted that it is a distress flare. Things are often disguised or have other things hidden inside them, eg explosives, nails, etc, etc, so better safe than sorry and endure a little bit of inconvenience for everyone’s safety.
THANK YOU PIPPIN you’re absolutely right, and THANK YOU to the experts and skilled services we have, who deal with this @#&? Heaven help us if we where in the hands of the morons I scrolled through to get to your comment.
No more dangerous than a firework completely OTT response, the world has gone completely mad.
The trouble is that nowadays there are many stupid people who would want to see if it really was dangerous, or having heard that phosphorous is good for the brain, would try eating it. Idiocracy again!
We now know it contained phosphorous.
If it accidently went off in your hand it could either choke or burn you, or maybe both.
Probably better not to risk messing about with it !!
First time flares have been seen in Freshwater since the 1970 ‘proper’ festival.
The brook adjacent to the co op is well known to locals and features a secure concrete bridge.A controlled det would be good for a flare.
Interesting it was a large Marine Flare.
We can chav shame the co op….
Not so nice when the same people leave it in the social club.
We have no suspects or witnesses and an active player planting explosives.
You tube is a mine of information to improve his prospects.
I would recommend some active thought on this matter and why it happened.
That person or persons are still as we speak in the wild.
Until they are apprehended one should shirk from blowing to hard.