As wetter weather and stronger sea conditions continue across the UK and its coastlines, Coastguards are warning the public about the potential dangers associated with unidentified objects on beaches.
“I was visiting our cliff rescue training area when a group of young people alerted me to a suspicious object down by the shore,” says Paul Holdsworth, Station Officer for Croyde Coastguard Rescue Team.
Paul rushed back to his coastguard station nearby to retrieve torches, equipment and the team’s Coastguard Rescue Vehicle. He called Falmouth Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) to advise them of the situation and hailed his Deputy Station Officer.
“It’s entirely possible that a suspicious object could just be a rusty old tin can, but we need to be certain. We'd much rather be called for absolutely nothing! Heading to the scene with our Deputy Station Officer, it became clear that what had been found was a handheld flare.
“We marked the area, spoke to the local landowner, and called out the Coastguard Rescue Team. Members of our team are Time Expired Pyrotechnics (TEP) trained, so we were able to recover the item safely.”
Flares contain explosives, and once they pass their expiry date, the owner is responsible for their safe disposal. It is illegal to dispose of flares at sea, at land or by discharge in anything other than an emergency. You can visit the Green Blue website to find the nearest disposal centre.
“In the wrong hands, they could be deadly. These young people did exactly the right thing: they stepped away from the flare, warned others, and called for help,” says Paul.
“As a team, we’re very visible in our local community, and we’d like to think that this helps us with members of the public who know who we are, what we do, and aren’t afraid to come to us for help.”
Just a month or so earlier, the team were called to a suspected hand grenade where again, children had made the discovery on a beach and dialled 999. As a serving member of the armed forces, Paul knew exactly what he was looking at, and an Explosive Ordnance Disposal team was called.
Discarded WW2 munitions can become more dangerous, as they are more sensitive to movement and impacts as they deteriorate over time.
Paul says: “The last thing that anyone wants is for items like these to be removed from the coastline.
“Even if they’re in poor condition and have been submerged for a long period of time, explosive items can be very dangerous. Our advice is to leave any suspicious items well alone. Stand clear of the area and call 999.”
