By Chris Cornford
The Needles Coastguard Rescue Team were called out by the public to two separate incidents involving ordnance on West Wight beaches on Friday (February 26).
The team went to Totland Bay first, but the ordnance was submerged and inaccessible at the time due to the incoming tide.
They relocated to Alum Bay, where another two items of ordnance were discovered. However, with the tide again against them, they returned to station and arranged to meet the Royal Navy’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team on Saturday at low tide.
The following day, upon inspection, the items at Alum Bay were deemed as ‘safe’ by EOD and removed from the beach.
The original Totland ordnance was destroyed in a controlled explosion at around 4.20pm, when the tide allowed access. The two pieces from Alum Bay were also destroyed in the same explosion.
A Needles Coastguard Rescue Team spokesman said: “Ordnance or marine pyrotechnics can be extremely dangerous. We urge all who discover items which they believe to be such [problems] to leave the items in situ, mark the position with a noticeable marker at the base of the cliff and move away. Dial 999 and ask for Coastguard.”
Press Release 
Isle of Wight Observer