A BEACH was cordoned off by police after reports of an unexploded device in Harwich.

A highly explosive device was safely moved to Irlam’s Beach, Harwich, for a controlled detonation last Thursday.

Police cordoned off the steps to the beach restricting access while emergency services attended to deal with the incident.

A spokesman for Essex Police said: “We received a report of an unexploded ordnance in Harwich shortly after 1pm on Thursday January 19.

“We arrived and liaised with bomb disposal experts and a 300m cordon was put in place.

“A controlled explosion was carried out shortly before 3.50pm and the cordon was removed.”

A group of bomb disposal experts from a Colchester Troop Army EOD team attended the scene to carry out the controlled explosion.

The team is responsible for improvised explosive device and conventional munitions disposal as well as inspecting and licencing ammunition storage and enforcing explosives safety regulations.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence added: “I can confirm that on Thursday, January 19, an Army EOD team from Colchester Troop, 621 EOD Squadron deployed to Western Lane Recycling Centre, Harwich, at the request of Essex Police.

“The team identified one mortar three inch High Explosive which was safely moved to Irlam’s Beach and destroyed by a controlled explosion.”