A Royal Navy bomb disposal squad was called to Minehead harbour to deal with a live military parachute illuminating flare which had been washed up by the tide.

They were alerted on Sunday after being sent pictures of the khaki-coloured cylinder by Watchet Coastguard after it washed up with other debris.

A Coastguard spokesman said: “The Navy decided that due to the unfired state of the flare they would attend and collect it. It was later safely removed from the beach.

“The military are unable to deal with non-military pyrotechnics and so any unused marine flares from private yachts and boats should either be returned to a chandler’s for disposal or taken to a disposal point such as Torbay or Milford Haven, or to a local authority authorised disposal site.

“It is a criminal offence to dump unused pyrotechnics or flares.”