Cocker spaniel Luna finds unexploded bomb in Winterton

Steve Rose was walking six-year-old Luna on the dunes in Winterton early yesterday afternoon when she discovered an explosive device. 

Police officers arrived at the scene at around 1pm and a cordon was put in place while an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team was called to assist. 

Luna discovered the device on the dunes in Winterton (Image: Steve Rose)The device, which Mr Rose says was a two-inch mortar used during the Second World War, was safely detonated. 

Mr Rose said: "Luna is very inquisitive, she was trained as a sniffer dog but failed her final tests before we took her in.

"I saw her disappear over the dunes and when I followed her she'd scratched this device up."

This isn't the first time that Luna has uncovered an unexploded bomb. 

The device has now been detonated (Image: Steve Rose)READ MORE: Norfolk school brings in sniffer dog to curb vaping among pupils

The clever dog dug up another suspected Second World War grenade in April 2022 while walking along the dunes. 

During the Second World War Winterton was home to a military camp and a minefield, and had extensive coastal defences.

The first bomb discovered by Luna in 2022 (Image: Steve Rose)The village's proximity to Great Yarmouth made it appealing to invaders as a way of attacking the port from the flank. 

Mr Rose said he waited with Luna at the Dunes Cafe for police to arrive and assess the scene yesterday afternoon.

Mr Rose, an electrical engineer for the offshore wind industry, said he was proud (Image: Steve Rose)He added: "I'm quite proud of her second time round, but it's becoming a bit of a nuisance as well.

"She's well-practiced now - hopefully she isn't going to make much more of a habit of it."