WHEN National Trust Ranger Bex Nuttall discovered this object on the beach at Studland over the weekend, she feared it could be a Second World War bomb.

But the truth was even stranger - it turned out to be a cola can that could be 70 years old.

Now the chief executive of anti-litter campaign Keep Britain Tidy, Allison Ogden-Newton, has blasted the last-century litterbug, saying it was an 'ugly reminder' about the longevity of litter.

“This ancient can is an ugly reminder that when people mindlessly litter, thinking they are throwing their unwanted packaging “away” into the countryside, it doesn’t go away because there is no “away” there is only the bin," she said.

“All the packaging that we discard in our environment will stay there – or make its way into our marine environment – and that is why it is important for everyone to get the message that people need to keep their rubbish with them until they find a bin, then bin it, and, if it’s recyclable, put it in a recycling bin.”

Bex Nuttall described how she discovered the can. "Me and my colleague were sanding and repainting a load of posts near the naturist beach and I stumbled upon it," she said. "I checked both ends to see if they were intact because usually, when you find ordnance and one end is open, you can be pretty sure it's safe."

Because the object was closed she phoned a colleague who called the police and coastguard whilst Bex and her colleagues formed a cordon.

After officers arrived, they checked the object and pronounced it to be an ancient Pepsi-Cola can.

Coastguard officers speculated that, because of its apparent age, the can could have been dropped by a US serviceman taking part in Operation Smash, the full-blown dress rehearsal for the D-Day Landings which took place at Studland in 1944.

However, the cylindrical style of can was not introduced until 1948.

"We had a quick look on the internet at Pepsi logos over the years to see when different can designs came into effect," said Bex. "The most quoted one of this shape was the early 1950s but who knows if it's older?"

She said the officer who found the can made a hole and drained all the sand out of it. "We have the can intact, it's quite delicate now, and it's potentially going to be used in a display as part of our education side."

The Studland Pepsi can is one of the oldest pieces of litter found on a British beach.

Earlier this year a ten-year-old boy discovered what is believed to be a 30-year-old packet of Walkers cheese and onion crisps on the shore near Padstow.