Storm uncovers Second World War mine

Boxing Day goes with a bang
There is never a dull moment on Blakeney Point. On Boxing Day a visitor found what he thought was a Second World War mine on the high tide line three miles along the Point. After marking it, he informed the coastguard who in turn called us. It was located just after dark with assistance from a member of the Cley coastguard team. We fenced it off and informed the police who in turn called the bomb disposal team.

The bomb disposal team arrived the next day and were taken to the scene. They identified it to be an anti-personnel Second World War mine, which required detonation on site. The bomb disposal officer kindly filmed the explosion on my camera to serve as a warning never to touch any kind of potential ordnance. Mines come in all shapes and sizes and are not standard, therefore if ever you see anything suspicious, take an exact location (look for obvious landmarks), avoid touching it at all times and inform us, the police or the coastguard.

Still of the explosion

A calmer moment on Blakeney Point

We are still very busy across the Norfolk Coast following the tidal surge. We are very grateful for all of the support we were given from other National Trust properties, regional office staff, volunteers and former members of the Blakeney team. Just before Christmas, a dozen volunteers plus staff had a productive day putting the boardwalk back in place where possible and worked out how much had be lost (approximately 60 metres).

 Boardwalk repairs (Alex Green)

The seals have had an incredibly successful breeding season despite the storm. Our latest count, conducted this week, took the total up to 1561 pups. This is well over 300 more than last year's total already, and we expect a few more in the next couple of weeks.

Happy seal pup (Graham Lubbock)

- Graham and Ajay (Coastal Rangers)