Why Ordnance Keeps Washing Up On West Cumbria’s Beaches
A growing number of historic military items have been washing up on West Cumbria’s beaches, prompting repeated bomb disposal operations.
Ten pieces of ordnance have been disposed of through controlled detonations in the past month alone, highlighting the continuing presence of historic military material along the county’s coastline. Five pieces were discovered together on Drigg beach and were subsequently dealt with by an Army bomb disposal team, while further items have also been found at other locations along the West Cumbrian coast.
The recent discoveries follow several other incidents involving suspected ordnance on local beaches. Just last week, a gas canister and a piece of ordnance were dealt with by an Army bomb squad, while two additional pieces were detonated several days later after being found along the coastline. These incidents have contributed to growing attention around why historic material continues to emerge from the sea and shoreline.
The scale of the issue became particularly apparent earlier this year when Eskmeals beach was completely closed to the public after more than 300 pieces of historic ordnance were discovered. The items included projectiles and had to be removed or disposed of following their discovery, demonstrating the substantial quantity of historic military material that can remain hidden around West Cumbria’s coastal environment.
Finding ordnance on West Cumbria’s beaches is not entirely unusual because of the area's long military and explosives history. However, several natural processes can contribute to older items becoming exposed after remaining buried beneath sand, within dunes or on the seabed for decades. Strong tidal currents, heavy storms and continuing coastal erosion can gradually disturb this material and bring it closer to the shoreline.
Maryport Coastguard Rescue Team has explained that the combination of strong tidal movement, severe weather and erosion can gradually dislodge old artillery shells and mortars. Material that has remained buried or submerged for many years can therefore become exposed as beaches change shape and sediment is moved, increasing the possibility that historic military items will eventually be found by people walking along the coast.
The history of Drigg and the surrounding coastline is another important factor behind the discoveries. The area was heavily associated with military and explosives activity during the Second World War, including the Royal Ordnance Factory at Drigg, which was established beside the beach and became a major explosives manufacturing site during the conflict.
The Royal Ordnance Factory operated on a huge scale, with around 400 tonnes of TNT being shipped from the facility each week during its wartime operation. The factory closed in 1945, but its activities formed part of a much wider military presence across the surrounding coastline, dunes and beaches, where live firing, testing and other military operations also took place.
The area's military history means that some of the material now being exposed has been associated with activities dating back many decades. While the original operations ended long ago, historic ammunition and other military items can remain within coastal environments, where changing conditions can gradually disturb them and bring them to the surface or wash them ashore.
Another factor identified in connection with the continuing discoveries is the history of offshore ammunition dumping. After the Second World War, large quantities of surplus British military ammunition, including artillery shells and mortars, were disposed of at sea. Much of this material was intended for disposal at Beaufort’s Dyke, a deep trench in the Irish Sea.
However, historic accounts indicate that some dumping was not necessarily carried out accurately or openly at the intended location. Material was also disposed of closer to the Cumbrian coastline, meaning old ammunition and other military items could remain within the wider marine environment and potentially be affected by tides, storms and seabed movement many decades later.
The combination of historic military activity on land, wartime explosives operations and offshore dumping provides important context for the repeated discoveries now being made. Natural coastal processes can expose material that has remained hidden for generations, meaning modern beach users can unexpectedly encounter items that were manufactured and used or discarded many decades ago.
Recent incidents have demonstrated why members of the public are being urged to treat any suspicious object found on the shoreline seriously. Some historic ordnance can remain dangerous despite spending decades underwater or buried in sand, and members of the public cannot safely determine whether an unfamiliar object is harmless simply from its appearance.
Anyone who discovers an object they believe could be ordnance is advised not to touch, move or take it away from the beach. People should immediately move themselves, other members of their group and any pets to a safe distance, while avoiding actions that could disturb the object or place them closer to a potentially dangerous item.
Members of the public are also advised to warn other people nearby if they can do so without putting themselves at risk. Providing emergency responders with an accurate location can be particularly helpful, and people who discover suspected ordnance can use landmarks, GPS coordinates or What3Words to help identify where the item has been found.
Anyone who finds suspected ordnance on a West Cumbrian beach should call 999 and ask for the Coastguard. Coastguard teams can then assess the situation and arrange the appropriate specialist response, including involvement from military bomb disposal personnel when required. The recent series of controlled detonations demonstrates the importance of allowing trained specialists to deal with these discoveries safely.
With West Cumbria’s coastline continuing to experience erosion, strong tides and periods of heavy weather, historic material may continue to emerge from beaches and surrounding waters. The region’s wartime explosives industry and military history, combined with decades of offshore ammunition disposal, provide the background to a problem that remains relevant for modern beach users.
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