WWII mine blown-up off Kent coast

A 1,800lb World War II German mine has been successfully destroyed in a controlled explosion.

The 8ft (2.4m) long device had become entangled in the nets of a fishing vessel a mile off Sheerness on the north Kent coast.

It was destroyed by Royal Navy bomb disposal experts.

The leader of the bomb disposal team, Chief Petty Officer, Sid Lawrence, said the fact it had survived so long was quite rare.

"These mines were the biggest the Germans made - they were designed to destroy ships the size of aircraft carriers and they caused severe damage to British ships during the war," he said.

"You don't see many left because most of them went off. This one probably has survived for so long because it has remained in shallow waters for all these years."