Warning not to hunt unexploded bombs on beach

Paul Duckworth said beachcombers were risking their lives by taking bombs home

Beachcombers are being warned not to take risks in hunting for unexploded bombs and bullets left decades ago at a former RAF bombing range.

Bomb disposal engineer Paul Duckworth said coastal erosion meant hundreds of thousands had been exposed at Cowden, near Hornsea, in East Yorkshire.

He said up to 30% of those left on the beach were "still live and could explode" but were being removed by a contractor.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) says anyone who finds something suspicious should "inform the police immediately".

Cowden was used by the RAF and US Airforce for target practice between 1948 and 1998.

A company has been tasked by the MoD to safely remove the historical munitions from the site after they were exposed when a section of the cliff collapsed by 82ft (25m) earlier this year.

'Dangerous pastime'

Mr Duckworth said: “We don't know if these bombs are live or not. You can't tell by looking at them.

"People shouldn't take these things home. They shouldn't touch them. They shouldn't move them.

"There's a misconception out there that because they are practice bombs they are safe to handle. That is not true.

"Every practice bomb that was dropped on this range had an element of explosives in them."

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