A recent incident has brought to light the potential dangers that can lurk beneath the surface of seemingly peaceful coastal settings. A family, who were out for a day at the beach near Burry Port, Carmarthenshire, had a close call with disaster when they unknowingly posed for photographs next to an unexploded World War II mine, mistaking it for a harmless buoy. The incident serves as a stark reminder of the hidden dangers that remnants of wartime history can pose, even in seemingly serene coastal settings.
The family, consisting of 32-year-old Kelly Gravell and her two children, Erin and Ellis, were enjoying their day at the beach when they stumbled upon the seaweed-covered object. Little did they know, the object was a 70-year-old bomb, which was later identified by Carmarthenshire Council rangers. The beach was promptly closed five days later, and the bomb squad was called in to neutralize the potential threat. A controlled detonation was carried out, resulting in a dramatic explosion on the far side of the harbor.
The father, Gareth, took to Twitter to express his surprise, sharing images of his children playfully interacting with the disguised explosive. His tweet humorously noted, “So the buoy my kids were jumping on all weekend turns out to be a WWII bomb. Oops.” Ms. Gravell also recounted that during their beach outing, they were more interested in the barnacles on the object than its true nature. With the tide up, the family had unintentionally stumbled upon the historic bomb, dismissing it as a buoy. Even a light-hearted comment about it being a “big bomb” was made at the time without a second thought.
