Royal Navy and MoD called after cannonballs found on Gosport shoreline

The Royal Navy’s Fleet Diving Squadron was joined by Coastguard crews, the Ministry of Defence and Hampshire Constabulary today, following reports that people had been collecting cannonballs from the water.

In order to discourage others, the location of the incident has not been made public.

More than a dozen cannonballs were seized by emergency services following the incident.

Posting on Twitter, Hill Head Coastguard Rescue Team confirmed that investigations into the incident are ongoing.

In the past, the navy’s Fleet Diving Squadron has been called out to tackle unexploded ordnance.

In November 2016, a 500kg unexploded bomb was towed away from Portsmouth Harbour by the crew, for safe detonation

Unusual items found on the shoreline or in the water should be reported as potentially dangerous or historic items by calling 999.

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