Cordon lifted after tide removes suspected bomb

The coastguard warned the ordinance could still be in the area

A cordon was set up on a beach after a suspected bomb washed up on the shore.

HM Coastguard said it received reports of an item on Beer beach, in Devon, at about 16:00 BST on Sunday.

Officers set up a cordon at the beach while Royal Navy bomb disposal units made their way to the site, Devon and Cornwall Police said.

The device had been washed out by the tide before the bomb disposal team arrived and the cordon had since been lifted, a coastguard spokesperson said.

The Coastguard has since issued a warning that the shell could still be in the area and asked people to take extra care on the beach.

A spokesperson said on Facebook: "We returned two hours before low water to see if the ordnance was visible, we stayed until 05:10 BST [on Monday] which was just after low tide, searches were made along the beach and rocks.

"The shell was not visible, so nothing more could be done."

People are being asked to call the police if they see anything which resembles a shell.

A police cordon was set up after reports a bomb had washed up on Beer's beach

The navy said it would send its bomb disposal unit back to the scene if the suspected explosive returned.

A Facebook post from Beer Coastguard Rescue Teams said a 100m (330ft) cordon was set up while emergency services dealt with the incident.

The post added: "The shell had been dug out of the pebbles by someone apparently, before someone else called 999 as they realised what it was."

Royal Navy Bomb Disposal teams were dispatched to Beer beach

Fiona Garnett, 52, had been on the beach with friends and family when they were all asked to leave the area.

"My girls were swimming in the sea when a man came down saying he'd found what might be an unexploded bomb on the beach," she said.

Ms Garnett added the beach and the public gardens above it were evacuated.

"The emergency services were there quite quickly, which does fill you with confidence as they were taking it seriously," she said.

Additional reporting by Mary Litchfield