A SUSPECTED “old wartime munition” was blown up in the Mournes on Monday afternoon.
The object, located on land near Atticall, was detonated by Army personnel.
Police later described it as a “historic device”.
Following the incident, a spokeswoman for the PSNI confirmed that once the object was made safe, it was removed from the area.
She said it was thought to be “old wartime munition” and that members of the PSNI and Army attended the scene.
Confirming that a controlled explosion had been carried out on the find, the representative added: “Police attended a report of a suspicious device in the Banns Road area of Atticall shortly after 12.50pm on Monday, 16 December. Officers attended alongside ATO [Army Technical Officers] who carried out a controlled explosion. No roads were closed.”
Subsequent posts on the PSNI Newry Mourne and Down Facebook page also confirmed that a member of the public had made the discovery.
Using the incident as a timely safety reminder, the social media post added that should anyone make a similar discovery, they should never touch it, but must note its location as precisely as possible and contact police immediately.
In its message, police also thanked the person who alerted them to the find and described the object as ‘an old world war device’.
Sections of the local mountain range were used for firing practice during World War Two.
Monday’s incident follows two related security alerts in the Mournes area last year caused by devices dating back to the Second World War.
In January 2023, an artillery shell was made safe after it was discovered in the Leitrim Road area of Kilkeel, while two months later, a “viable” WW2 mortar was found and destroyed in a controlled explosion in the Trassey Road area, close to Bryansford.
