Holiday beach cordoned off after landslide unveils 1,000 WW2 bombs

Updated
Holiday beach cordoned off after landslide unveils 1,000 WW2 bombs and rockets
Holiday beach cordoned off after landslide unveils 1,000 WW2 bombs and rockets

Mappleton Beach: Alamy


A UK holiday beach was cordoned off on Sunday after a landslide sent over 1,000 dangerous bombs and rockets embedded in cliffs for more than 60 years hurtling on to the sands.

According to the BBC, Humberside Police said the shells were discovered by a dog walker on Mappleton Beach near Hornsea this weekend.

The East Riding beach was used as a practice bombing range in the Second World War, and a combination of coastal erosion and heavy rain led to the landslip that unveiled one of the biggest arsenal ever uncovered.

According to the Telegraph, fins from the bombs have been left sticking out of the rock that fell on to the beach, and coastguards are warning holiday crowds flocking to the area that grabbing one as a souvenir could lead to a tragedy.

A 24-hour guard has been set up at the beach by Humberside Police to prevent anyone from attempting to pick up a trophy during the school holidays.

The Humber Coastguard said an Army Bomb Disposal team from North Yorkshire's Catterick Army Base has been called into clear the beach over the next few days, with some of the bigger weapons being blown up on site in controlled explosions.

The weapons include rockets, mortar bombs and 25-pounder bombs fired into the cliffs for target practice by the RAF during the war.

Mike Puplett, watch manager at Humber Coastguard, told the Telegraph: "It's an old firing range from World War Two and an area where we do get explosives and grenades.

"When the cliff sinks it is a fairly regular occurrence that we get one or two. But there has been a fairly significant landslide occurred due to the erosion and bad weather which has caused it to slip.

"It is a conservative estimate of more than 1,000 items, a mixture of explosives. It is going to take two to three days if not longer to transport the less harmful explosives out of the way while those which are more dangerous or live are detonated in controlled explosions."

Mr Puplett continued: "Most are practice rounds but the Army have advised us that the amount of explosives even in Low Explosive rounds make them highly dangerous to handle.

"Because they have been in the cliff so long they may have become volatile and dangerous after being exposed to the fresh air.

"They have actually fallen in the landslip down onto the beach and are sticking out of the mud and rock and sand.

"Because there is such a great number of them what we do not want is people wandering around picking up the odd trophy to put on the mantel piece.

"They are all highly dangerous and should not be touched at all. "

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