Clearance continues at beach bomb site suddenly exposed by coastal erosion

BOMB disposal experts were last night unable to predict when they will have removed hundreds of old shells that were suddenly exposed by coastal erosion on an East Riding beach.
By The Newsroom
Published 24th Jul 2012, 07:00 BST

The 5lb bombs, some dating back to the Second World War, were dropped by the RAF during practice missions on its range at the now disused RAF Cowden.

They were found by a dog walker at Mappleton, near Hornsea, on Saturday and some were taken away by staff from the Defence School of Transport at Leconfield, near Beverley, while about 15 controlled explosions were carried out on the beach by the Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit from Catterick, North Yorkshire.

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The clearance operation has now been handed to the RAF, which is responsible for removing most air-delivered weapons, apart from German Second World War bombs, which are a speciality of the Royal Engineers.

A four-man team from RAF Wittering in Cambridgeshire was due to carry out a further assessment of the site yesterday.

Meanwhile, a landslip caused disruption for rail passengers on the Wharfedale line yesterday. It happened at 5am near the Apperley Tunnel and passengers travelling between Leeds and Ilkley were advised to change at Shipley, with some peak-time services diverted via Shipley.

Related topics:RAFEast Riding