By Lisa Ramsden
A CONTROLLED explosion was carried out on Murlough beach last week.
Coastguards from Newcastle and Kilkeel assisted the PSNI and army bomb disposal experts during Tuesday’s operation, putting in place an exclusion zone.
The alarm was raised shortly after lunchtime when a member of the public came across an object which they believed may be World War Two ordnance.
The item, it was later ascertained, was a discarded smoke cannister.
Speaking after the call-out a member of Newcastle Coastguard commended the person who contacted the emergency services.
“We would like to thank the member of the public who discovered the cannister and made the call.
“Many genuine pieces of WW2 ordnance have washed ashore on the beach in the past and it can often be difficult to identify them after so long in the water,” he explained.
The team member added: “If anyone finds anything suspicious, please don’t touch it, and instead telephone 999 and ask for the Coastguard.”
This incident was the first of several the Kilkeel team was involved in over the past week.
Most recently on Sunday afternoon, a search and rescue helicopter from Prestwick in Scotland, along with Coastguard personnel and Kilkeel lifeboat were involved in a land, air and sea search after reports of a distress beacon being activated in the area.
These EPIRBs (Emergency Position Indication Radio Beacons) are safety devices caried by a vessel to alert search and rescue services, allowing them to quickly locate the boat in the event of an emergency.
Following an extensive search by all assets, it was ascertained that no life or vessel was in danger when the beacon was located on land.
The previous evening, the team, along with police, were called to the Bloody Bridge, south of Newcastle, after concerns were raised about a missing person.
Coastguards had arrived and were liaising with PSNI officers on the scene, when the news came through that the individual was safe and well and in the care of the PS