A beach at Studland had to be closed so an old wartime shell could be detonated in a controlled explosion.
The unexploded wartime ordnance was discovered by an eagle eyed watersports instructor at low tide around 9 am on Middle Beach in Studland on Wednesday 3rd August 2022.
National Trust cordoned off the beach
Following the discovery, National Trust rangers cordoned off a section of the beach to protect the public, while the bomb disposal and Swanage Coastguard teams were alerted.
The National Trust managed the cordon until Swanage Coastguard took over in the afternoon and stayed until it was dark.
Safely detonated on the beach
The following morning at low tide around 7 am, Swanage Coastguard was back with the Royal Navy’s bomb disposal team to deal with the old shell.
It’s believed that the bomb, that was about 30 cm long and 8 cm in diameter, was from World War Two. It’s not uncommon to find old ordnance along the Purbeck coast as the area was used for military training during the two World Wars.
The decision was made to deal with it where it was on the beach, so the whole area was closed off, before being safely detonated.
Call 999
Swanage Coastguard said:
“We would like to thank the National Trust, local businesses and the public for their assistance whilst the beach was closed for safety.”
Swanage Coastguard advises that if anyone discovers a suspicious item on the beach that could be old military ordnance, they should ring 999 and ask for the coastguard, who can then check it out.
