A BOMB disposal team swooped in to carry out a controlled explosion and a road was completely closed after a man called police about an 'unknown object' which he had brought onboard his boat.
Ivan Tyrie, 55, a sailor and semi-retired craftsman from Weymouth, said that he was on his yacht on Worbarrow Bay, near Lulworth on Sunday, October 10 when he found the object.
Mr Tyrie said he had dropped a tool into the water at the bay and was using a magnet to fish it back out, but instead brought up what he said looked like a large bullet around 13 inches long.
He said he had the object on his boat for a few days before he decided to call the police yesterday on Tuesday, October 12.
As a result, a 100-metre cordon was put in place around the yacht at Weymouth Harbour, as the area was evacuated and road closures were put in place on Westwey Road shortly after 3pm. The closure was in place between the ASDA traffic lights and Westham Cross, causing queuing traffic to build in the surrounding area.
Initially, Mr Tyrie said, he did not think what he had found was dangerous as he did not know what it was and did not want to just throw it back into the bay, so left it on his boat. But he was later encouraged by some friends to inform authorities about it and then phoned a non-emergency police number.
He said at first a 50-metre exclusion zone was put around his yacht, the Kittiwake, where the object was, which was then soon expanded to a 100-metre zone.
Mr Tyrie said police initially arrived, followed by the Royal Navy, who removed the object.
He said: “I asked if it was safe if I could put it on eBay, but they said no.”
He said that people working with Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) were not able to say what it was at the time as it was so heavily corroded.
A spokesman for Dorset Police said: "Dorset Police received a report at midday on Tuesday, October 12 that an unknown object had been found in the water by a member of the public on a boat at Weymouth Marina.
"A 100-metre cordon has been put in place around the boat for the safety of members of the public. The EOD has been notified and will be attending the location."
The object in question was later taken to Weymouth Beach where it was destroyed in a controlled explosion.
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