A BOMB disposal squad was called after a live parachute illuminating flare was found in Minehead Harbour.

Watchet Coastguard were called on Sunday (April 28) following a report from Minehead RNLI that a live military para illuminant had been found on the beach.

The Coastguard went to the beach and discovered it had washed up with other debris, and forwarded photographs of the item to the Royal Navy for a decision on it’s safe removal.

The Royal Navy decided that due to the live (unfired) state of the military parachute illuminating flare they would attend and collect it.

A bomb disposal squad from the Royal Navy arrived shortly after and safely removed the flare from the beach.

A spokesman for Watchet Coastguard said: "Unfortunately the military are unable to deal with non military pyrotechnics and so any unused marine flares from private yachts and boats should be either returned to a chandlers for disposal (where they are accepted) or conveyed to a disposal point such as Torbay or Milford Haven, or to a local authority authorised disposal site .

"It is a criminal offence to dump unused pyrotechnics / flares.

"Several of our team remained at the scene awaiting the Royal Navy whilst the others returned to station at Watchet to rejoin other team members and our area commander and senior coastal operations officer to undertake a planned revalidation of some of our rope operations team and cliff rescue technicians, together with Coastguards from Bideford Coastguard Ilfracombe Coastguard Search and Rescue Mortehoe Coastguard and Clevedon Coastguard.

"Working on the cliff face at Kilve Beach , Demonstrating various rope / cliff rescue techniques the mixed team of Coastguards worked as one proving to the assessing Officers their abilities in order to re-validate.

"Teamwork is essential especially for mixed team responses to incidents where all teams around the UK Coastline work in the same way and are consistent in the safe systems of work we use in all rescue situations."