Families and small children are ignoring warning signs and digging in prohibited MOD land which could be littered with unexploded devices.

Southend Coastguard has urged people to stay away from the MOD land in Shoebury after witnessing a rise in people flouting the rules and trespassing in recent weeks.

It has released a photo of a family which was spotted digging on the mudflats near Ness Road at the weekend to highlight the problem.

The coastguard says it has found a number of explosive devices in the very same area in the past year and is urging beachgoers to stay away from the area for their own safety.

A spokesman said: “We have attended incidents of ‘real’ ordnance on the MOD beaches and now coupled with seeing the increase in families taking their children in this very area, we feel we should highlighted again the dangers and items that ‘could’ be found on MOD property.

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“In 2020 alone Southend Coastguard dealt with more than 80 items of various types of ordnance, some which needed to be detonated by our Army / Navy EOD teams in situ, some stable enough to be taken away for destruction and some which were now deemed harmless.

“Because these items can be so dangerous, if you ever see something suspicious or out of the ordinary on the beach or in the sea, do not touch it, move it or take it home.

“Let the experts decide if it is safe.

“Move to a safe space and call 999 and ask for the Coastguard so our teams can investigate.”