ORDNANCE from the Second World War was detonated on Thursday after it was discovered last week by a member of the public just a few hundred meters from Black Rock picnic site.

The Royal Navy bomb disposal unit with assistance from the Chepstow Coastguard carried out a controlled explosion to remove the 50 pound anti-aircraft shell from the Second World War which contained high explosives.

Authorities were first alerted to the unexploded ordinance on Tuesday after a call from a member of the public.

Richard Hoyle, deputy station officer of Chepstow Coastguard said:

“On Tuesday evening a member of public, reported an unexploded bomb on Charston Sands. Because of the state of the tides we waited until Wednesday for the next daylight low water.

“Chepstow Coastguard worked with Severn Area Rescue Association lifeboat based a Beachley to take two officers to the sand bank who undertook an area search and located a possible item of ordinance.

“Descriptions measurements and photographs were sent to joint services explosive ordinance disposal operations centre for initial assessment.”

The assessment was then passed to the Royal Navy Southern Diving Unit One from Plymouth who attended the scene on Thursday ready for the low tide to access the ordinance.

Mr Hoyle said: “Chepstow Coastguard and the Royal Navy went out in boat located and confined a fused projectile. Detonation was approved and the bomb made safe through controlled detonation.”

Despite first looks this shell was quite dangerous, which serves as a warning to anyone who comes across something metal on the beach to contact authorities.

Mr Hoyle said: “This one would have looked like a projectile element and the explosive element behind had gone but this one had both elements.

“Its not uncommon for ordnance from the Second World War to wash up to the area we cover, we had one recently in the Beachley slip area.

“It is frequent enough that we constantly remind the public if they see something unusual on foreshore, be shore to call 999.”