Watch bomb explode at Beachy Head

This is the moment an unexploded bomb found at the foot of Beachy Head was detonated by experts.
By The Newsroom
Published 21st May 2019, 10:13 BST
An unexploded shell being detonated at Beachy Head, still from video by Dan Jessup SUS-190521-160841001An unexploded shell being detonated at Beachy Head, still from video by Dan Jessup SUS-190521-160841001
An unexploded shell being detonated at Beachy Head, still from video by Dan Jessup SUS-190521-160841001

The device was discovered by a member of the public just before 9pm on Sunday evening (May 19) on the beach between Belle Tout Lighthouse and the Belle Tout layby.

The shell was approximately three inches wide and 12 inches long, said the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA).

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Eastbourne and Birling Gap Coastguard Rescue Teams set up a cordon around the scene on Monday (May 20) restricting public access as a precautionary measure.

An unexploded shell being detonated at Beachy Head, still from video by Dan Jessup SUS-190521-160841001An unexploded shell being detonated at Beachy Head, still from video by Dan Jessup SUS-190521-160841001
An unexploded shell being detonated at Beachy Head, still from video by Dan Jessup SUS-190521-160841001

A spokesperson said the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team arrived on scene that morning and planned a controlled explosion at low tide at around 6pm that evening.

In the moments leading up to the explosion, a seagull flew towards the shell. It was given quite a fright when the device erupted in a burst of black smoke.

A witness said the explosion shook the cliffs and the loud bang could be heard reverberating across the landscape for miles.

Video by Dan Jessup.

See our original story: Unexploded bomb found at Beachy Head