Second world war missile on beach
BOMB disposal experts carried out a controlled explosion on Gorleston beach following the discovery of a live second world war anti aircraft shell. The object was destroyed by the Army's Royal Logistic Corps team, who had travelled from Colchester, at 6.
BOMB disposal experts carried out a controlled explosion on Gorleston beach following the discovery of a live second world war anti aircraft shell.
The object was destroyed by the Army's Royal Logistic Corps team, who had travelled from Colchester, at 6.30pm yesterday.
Beach strollers had spotted the small black metallic item on the shore, 300 yards from the Pier Hotel, at 4pm.
Chloe Sharman, 14, watched the bomb team go to work and described how three members of the Royal Logistic Corps prepared and placed the charge over a suspicious object and then covered it with sandbags.
Chloe told how the men then retreated a few hundred yards back up the beach and took cover behind a police 4x4 vehicle where they detonated the charge, which resulted in a loud bang.
She said: “The two sandbags were propelled into the air!”
Most Read
- 1 New York, Paris, Peckham, Great Yarmouth - Only Fools stars coming to town
- 2 New Norfolk café is selling out of its custard tarts and Nutella-filled croissants
- 3 'The best yet' - Yarmouth's celebration of wheels gearing up for return
- 4 New seafront festival promises feast of family fun
- 5 Village gets together to repair empty home for Ukrainian refugees
- 6 Access road for driveways denied to Gorleston residents
- 7 The seven cheapest streets in Great Yarmouth
- 8 Tyson Fury is making a comeback to Gorleston
- 9 Pupils 'not afraid to share ideas' - School praised by Ofsted
- 10 Charity football match to boost Norfolk and Waveney MIND
One of the three police officers on the scene after the initial callout was Sgt Jon Mitchell, who helped clear the area of walkers and emphasised that although they thought it unlikely to be a bomb, it was better to take precautions.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence said: “The shell was the live section at the end of the bullet, was without its casing, and was about the size of a thumb. Whilst it was live, it's size meant it wouldn't have posed a great threat, but it made sense to blow it up.”