Brighton beach was evacuated
(Picture: PA)Sunbathers were evacuated from Brighton beachfront after an amateur metal detectorist discovered a possible unexploded mortar shell under the pebbles.
A large cordon was put in place by officers on the seafront with beachgoers and nearby businesses “panicked” at first.
One concerned father tweeted: “Quite the trip to Brighton. There was I checking out the UK’s first football sticker shop while my kids were sat on top of a WWII bomb as a metal detectorist made his discovery!”
Brighton and Hove police later released a statement saying the cordon could be lifted after the item was “washed away by the tide”.
Possible WW2 Ordnance found Brighton Beach @SussexIncidents pic.twitter.com/tbOSKV7zOm
— eddie mitchell (@brightonsnapper) April 18, 2021
The item, believed to have been found west of the Brighton Palace pier, was possibly an unexploded mortar shell but police have yet to confirm.
The scene in the East Sussex city was made safe while police awaited attendance from the explosive ordnance disposal team, a spokesperson for Sussex Police said.
