Police inspector Andy Rice updated Penarth Town councillors on three bomb incidents that have been recorded and dealt with over a ten-day period.

On the 17th of February, a live incendiary device was found on Penarth beach and taken home by local residents.

This led to a cordon on Andrew Road and a road closure on Barry Road in Penarth.

Insp. Andy Rice said: ''It was in a surprisingly good condition. It was taken to Newton Beach and detonated. There was the potential of it being very dangerous as it was a live device.''

However, this was not the only bomb scare the local police force has had to deal with recently. In fact, there have been three scares over a 10-day period.

One was a false call when someone had called in a potential threat that had been located but, in fact, it was not a bomb. However, the procedure had to remain the same in terms of safety checks.

Another was a hand grenade that had been found whilst an area was being cleared out at an industrial unit in Sully. This was identified as a hand grenade from WW2 and the area was cordoned off to deal with the disposal of the relic.

Inspector Rice said: ''It is, of course, a concern that these things remain active and dangerous in the community but there is not a whole lot that can be done to prevent it.''

When pressed by councillors for safety advice for the general public the inspector said: ''Leave things that you find at the beach. This area was bombed quite heavily in World War Two and these things can sit hidden on seabeds for many years.

''My advice is if you find anything that even has the slightest possibility of detonating, do not pick it up. It's easier for us to deal with at a beach than it is in a town.

''It could be the storm that has washed them up but that is just speculation. The community should be aware that they can be found and they should be reported at the place they have been found but also left alone.''

Since 2010, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) says it has been involved with making safe 450 German WW2 bombs - about 60 per year.