MEMBERS of Arnside Coastguard were called out to an unexploded military flare washed up on the beach at Jenny Brown’s Point on Saturday afternoon.

The beach was cordoned off and the flare quickly identified as a “live misfire” which was "unstable."

A discussion then took place with the Coastguard watch manager at Holyhead and the Ministry of Defence (MOD). It was agreed to task the MOD bomb disposal team to deal with it.

The Arnside Coastguard team kept the beach closed until the bomb disposal team detonated the flare with a controlled explosion at around 5pm.

This was the third call out this year for the Arnside team, following a record breaking 59 call-outs last year.

Andy Pringle, Arnside Coastguard Station Officer, said: "Occasionally we do get live flares or unexploded ordnance washing up on the beach, so it is worth being vigilant.

"Fortunately a quick-thinking member of the public recognised the flare as being dangerous and immediately called the Coastguard. If you see anything suspicious like this, do not touch it, call 999 and ask for the Coastguard."