A SECOND World War bomb that was dredged from the sea bed off the Essex coast has been destroyed in a controlled explosion.

A SECOND World War bomb that was dredged from the sea bed off the Essex coast has been destroyed in a controlled explosion.

Thames Coastguard received a report from the Harwich Haven Authority on Friday that a shell had been picked up by the dredger Cornelia, 10 nautical miles off Harwich.

The Royal Navy Bomb and Mine Disposal Unit from Portsmouth was called in to deal with the situation and, with the help of the Essex Police marine launch, the shell was removed from the dredger to a safe position and an exclusion zone was established.

Thames Coastguard began broadcasting warnings to ships in the area to stay clear and the bomb was successfully destroyed by a controlled explosion.