Lost-and-found bomb is detonated

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Beach bomb blown up - at last

A World War II bomb which was lost after being towed out to sea off the Suffolk coast has been detonated.

The 1,000lb (500kg) bomb, thought to be German and dropped in 1942, was washed ashore at Felixstowe on 21 April.

Bomb disposal experts from the Royal Navy dragged the device out to sea but strong tides dislodged it from the seabed and it went missing.

It was then found by Royal Navy divers. Witnesses described a "thump and then a plume of water", at about 1940 BST.

Following the bomb's discovery about 1,200 homes were evacuated, and a 500m exclusion zone around the device was imposed by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.

Residents were allowed to return once the bomb had been towed out to sea.