False Alarm event in Dorset, Hengistbury Head, Bournemouth area, United Kingdom on Mon 26th December 2022

AN emergency response over what was initially believed to be an unexploded ordnance at Hengistbury Head turned out to be a false alarm. Tasked at 11.44am on Boxing Day (December 26) by the joint rescue coordination centre, Southbourne Coastguard attended the beach at Hengistbury Head following reports of a possible ordnance on the foreshore. Once on scene, coastguard crews set up a cordon around the area – which also involved closing the beach to ensure the safety of the general public. After discussions with Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD), a team from Portsmouth Naval Base was deployed. However, following further discussions with EOD and the sending of more photographs, it was eventually confirmed the object was not an ordnance but probably either a buoy weight or a cannon ball and it was deemed safe. A Southbourne Coastguard spokesperson said: “With this information, we collapsed the safety cordon and then pushed the item well above the high water mark, marked it with coastguard tape, and made the local authority aware in order to dispose of the item from the beach in due course. “Once complete we stood down and returned to station.”