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Published:
April 11, 2008
Burnham
lifeboat crews assist Royal Navy bomb disposal team
Two
Burnham-On-Sea RNLI lifeboats have joined the operation to help
the Royal Navy's bomb disposal team make safe a 700kg World War
II bomb on Stert Island.
The
lifeboats launched from Burnham beach, as pictured here, at just
before 2pm on Friday (April 11th) to take personnel from the Plymouth-based
Navy team to Stert, where a huge wartime bomb was found by a fisherman
in the mud on the southern end of Stert Island. See
photo of the bomb here.
 High
winds gusting up to 50mph on Friday lunchtime meant it was not
safe for Coastguards to use The Spirit Of Lelaina or Light Of
Elizabeth hovercrafts for the operation, as originally planned.
Equipment
will be taken out to the scene, on the southern end of Stert throughout
the afternoon and the bomb - which is only visible at low tide
- is exepcted to be safely detonated later today, thought to be
between 7pm-8pm.
A
one mile exclusion zone remains in operation around Stert Island
to prevent boats putting themselves in any danger.
Police
are also involved in the incident, and Somerset West deputy district
Commander Supt Gary Davies said on Friday: "There is no risk
to residents or the public, although there will be a loud bang
from the bay."
"I
would ask local people to not try and get near to the site as
the road network in the area is not built for large numbers of
cars and people face getting stuck in traffic if they do make
attempts to get close."
"People
will no doubt see the result of the detonation on television and
in their newspapers, but please do not try and travel out in boats
or on the surrounding mud flats to get a closer look."
"This
has been a co-ordinated operation between the Royal Navy, HM Coastguard
and police which will hopefully be bought to a safe conclusion
later today."
Petty
Officer Diver Keith Satchwell of the Royal Navy bomb disposal
team told Burnham-On-Sea.com: "I can confirm that a 10ft,
26 inch diamater bomb weighing 700kg has been found by a fisherman
on Stert Island. Some four and a half foot of the bomb is exposed
at low tide."
Burnham
Coastguard Station Officer Steve Bird is pictured above leading
the operation from the town's seafront
RELATED
LINKS:
Burnham-On-Sea Coastguard Web site
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