A team of Royal Navy divers from Southern Diving Unit 2 safely blew up a huge German wartime bomb which was discovered off Southend.

The three-strong team travelled from Portsmouth to Southend with a police escort to help them through the rush-hour traffic on the M25 after fishing boat Twilight Star came across the 850kg bomb in her nets last Wednesday afternoon.

The Navy team managed to have a good look at the bomb before nightfall, but then lowered the device back to the seabed for safety until the following day.

On Thursday morning the bomb was recovered and towed eastwards to the Shoeburyness Ranges, with local roads in Southend and the pier being closed as the bomb was taken through the area.

Once at the ranges, around three miles out to sea, the bomb was successfully detonated in the early evening.