An Army bomb disposal team carried out a controlled explosion on Brean beach on Monday afternoon (June 8th).
Coastguards cordoned off a large section of the beach near Brean Down after a live flare was washed up on the sands in a “volatile state”.
The Beach Warden had initially alerted the Coastguards, who sent several photos of the device to the Army’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal team in Salisbury.
“It quickly became apparent that the device was in an unstable condition – it was an old flare that was ten years out of date and had been in the sea a long time,” Coastguard Officer Ian Jefferies told Burnham-On-Sea.com.
“The Army bomb disposal team travelled over from Salisbury to remove it and because it was in such a volatile state they decided it would be safest to perform a controlled explosion on the beach.”
Police and Coastguards cleared the area around the scene as the controlled explosion was carried out mid-afternoon, as pictured here.
Ian added: “Old flares like this are potentially very dangerous – they are explosives and should not be handled.”
“Our advice is never to touch them, but to stay away and let the Coastguards deal with them.”
It is the third time this year that flares have been washed up on the beach.
Burnham Coastguards removed an unexploded flare after a Brean beach clean in March and then, again, Burnham Coastguards removed an ‘explosive’ flare on Brean beach in May.
The force of the explosion left this hole in the sands after Monday’s explosion
Police and Coastguards with the Army Bomb Disposal Team at the incident
