Suspected bomb on beach found to be a gas canister

Adur & Worthing Councils said the gas canister was difficult to identify as it was "covered in a thick layer of sand and shingle"

A gas container which was originally thought to have been an unexploded wartime bomb has been removed from a Sussex beach.

HM Coastguard was alerted to a suspected ordnance that had been exposed below the tide line on Worthing Beach on 13 February.

A 100m (328 ft) seafront cordon was put in place as Royal Navy bomb disposal experts attended the scene.

A spokesperson for Adur & Worthing Councils said the item was "covered in a thick layer of sand and shingle, making it difficult to identify whether it was a genuine threat to the public".

A cordon was placed along Worthing seafront

The spokesperson said the discovery led to "a couple of concerning days on Worthing Beach".

Following an assessment involving X-ray, the suspected ordnance was identified as "posing no threat" to the public.

On Thursday morning, specialist contractors arrived to collect the item, which has now been identified as a historic gas canister after being cleaned.

The council thanked HM Coastguard and the Royal Navy's Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit for their "quick response to the situation" and "creating a safe environment for our residents and visitors while the item was being assessed".

Follow BBC Sussex on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to [e-mail] or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250.