Anthrax vaccine washed ashore

Anthrax bacteria under the microscope

Dozens of phials of anthrax vaccine have been washed up along the west Dorset coastline.

The drugs were found on the beach at West Bay on Monday.

Fire crews and coastguards have since been trying to find the small glass tubes - which are in packs of five.

They were produced at the defence research establishment at Porton Down, Wiltshire, for military use in the Gulf war.

We make it exclusively for the Government and when we have sold it to them we have no control over it

Dr Phil Luton

Officials say they are not dangerous.

Dr Phil Luton, from the Centre for Applied Microbiology and Research (CAMAR) at Porton Down said: "We have been making the anthrax vaccine since 1978 and production stepped up significantly in 1990 because of the Gulf War.

"We have a contract to supply it to the government for another five years and at the moment we are making it in fairly significant quantities.

"We make it exclusively for the government and when we have sold it to them we have no control over it."

Experts also identified another drug washed up as an antidote to heavy metal poisoning, but this was not made by CAMAR.