World War Two bomb discovered in Hastings

The bomb was reported after a local fishing boat caught it in their nets, according to Hastings RNLI.

The coastguard contacted the Royal Navy Bomb Disposal Team at Portsmouth who then arrived and set up base at the lifeboat house. Hastings’ inshore lifeboat then ferried members of the bomb disposal team to the fishing boat where they confirmed that the object caught in the nets was a 1,000lb bomb from the Second World War.

A spokesperson from Hastings RNLI said: “Under the guidance of the inshore rescue boat the fishing vessel was moved to a safe location approximately two miles south of Rock a Nore, and the crew were taken off for safety.

“The bomb was then freed and laid back on the seabed for safety until first light, while the fishing vessel and her crew went back to work.”

They added that Dover Coastguard called for a half mile exclusion zone around the bomb for the rest of the night until it was safely detonated at just after 10am this morning (October 9).

Hastings Lifeboat Operations Manager Peter Adams said: “It proved to be a long night for the volunteer lifeboat crews at Hastings.

“It was clearly an unusual service, not least because of the involvement of the Royal Navy.

“But we at Hastings RNLI were glad to be of assistance, and happy that this potentially tricky incident was quickly and safely dealt with.”