Naval Flare Removed From Brighton Beach

A suspected naval flare was found washed-up on Rottingdean Beach near Brighton on Sunday, during a routine clean-up operation by local volunteers. Police evacuated and secured the area before an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team were able to attend and remove the pyrotechnic.

Many naval pyrotechnics are potentially extremely hazardous, containing chemical components such as phosphorus (as this device did). The Coastguard has developed guidelines to dispose of such items appropriately, although inevitably some unfired flares still find their way into the marine environment and are subsequently washed ashore. Most modern flares have warning labels to dissuade people from tampering with them.

The find comes shortly after a dog-walker was badly burned near Blyth when he inadvertently handled a lump of white phosphorus which he mistook for a shiny rock.

See: http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/13953477.Dangerous_chemical_found_on_beach/