Burnham-On-Sea Coastguards were called to Brean to investigate two possible ordnance objects found in the sand this week.
The team headed to the beach just after 4.30pm on Thursday (August 3rd) after concerns were raised by a metal detector user.
“The long stretches of sand we enjoy here in Somerset are a metal detector enthusiasts dream. You can always see one or two of them as they wave their detectors backwards and forwards just above the surface of the sand.”
“The sea and sand can hide lots of things and old ordnance is something that washes up all around the world. It’s no surprise when we get called to objects that have been dug out of the sand and the safest thing to do if you find anything is move away and contact the beach warden or dial 999 and ask for the Coastguard.”
“We arrived on the beach to find that the item was partially exposed already and the worry from those on scene was that it could be explosive. This isn’t the type of shell you want to be taking home so the team cleared the area, set up a safety cordon, and investigated further.”
“When we do this, we are careful and minimise the danger to ourselves and those around us and having a station officer with experience in ordnance disposal we were confident this wasn’t anything dangerous.”
Photos were taken and forwarded to the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Milford Haven, who work closely with the Explosive Ordnance Disposal team to identify objects.
“If it’s even remotely possible that it could be a danger then they will come along and inspect it further and dispose of it.”
“However, on this occasion, they could see that it was not dangerous as we suspected and upon further inspection it was thought to be a pair of wheels. Items of similar size and weight tend to group together as they get moved by the sand and tides.”
Pictured: The objects found on the beach (Photos Burnham Coastguard)
