Royal Navy bomb disposal squad called to Charmouth beach in Dorset, discovers upturned saucepan

A concerned member of the public contacted the National Coastwatch Institution (NCI) around 10am on Monday after spotting what appeared to be "potential ordnance" on Charmouth Beach.

Emergency services quickly responded, with Dorset Police and the West Bay Coastguard Rescue Team attending the scene. A cordon was established, and the Royal Navy’s explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) team was dispatched from Plymouth.

However, after examining the object, specialists determined that it was, in fact, a heavily weathered metal saucepan or a similar container that had likely washed ashore.

A spokesperson for Lyme Regis Coastguard detailed the incident in a Facebook post, stating: "Along with West Bay Coastguard Rescue Team and Dorset Police, we responded to a report of an unidentified object part-submerged in the sand near the Heritage Coast Centre."

"Due to the heavily weathered metal item being partially buried, we took photos and measurements and passed them on to EOD experts for assessment. An initial cordon was put in place, which was later increased to 100m after the Royal Navy bomb disposal experts expressed interest based on the object’s appearance and measurements."

"The Royal Navy bomb disposal team from Plymouth arrived shortly after and, upon closer inspection and subsequent digging out, determined that the object was a very old straight-sided saucepan or similar metal container."

Authorities have praised the member of the public for reporting the suspicious object and urged others to do the same if they come across anything unusual on the beach.

A coastguard spokesperson reiterated the importance of taking precautions: "We ask people if they do come across something on the beach that might be unexploded ordnance, to not touch it, just call 999 and ask for the coastguard."