ARMY officers and coastguards today praised a dog walker who alerted emergency services after discovering a rusty wartime mortar bomb washed up on Felixstowe beach.

Officers said the mystery man had done exactly the right thing – and it was always better to be safe than sorry.

The call saw part of the beach being cordoned off for nearly two hours while a bomb disposal squad was called to the resort and dealt with the suspicious item.

Police stood guard at the area alongside the new �10 million sea defence scheme, opposite The Alex restaurant, in Undercliff Road West, to keep the public safe.

Nearby homes and business premises were not evacuated.

The dog walker reported the device, a canister of similar size to a drinks can, around 10am.

Pc Anne-Marie Lynch said: “It is being regarded as suspicious and so we have cordoned off the area for public safety.”

A bomb disposal team from Colchester Troop, 621 Squadron, 11 EOD Regiment, Royal Logistic Corps arrived just after 11.30am yesterday to make an assessment of the object.

Sergeant David Boardman said the bomb was an inert practice round containing no explosives. He declared the item safe and recovered it for disposal.

“The person did exactly the right thing in calling the police as soon as they found the item and not moving it,” said Sgt Boardman.

“We would encourage people to raise the alarm if they do have concerns about any suspect items they find. It is better to be safe than sorry.”

Coastguard Ipswich sector manager Jo Arlow said the person who had spotted the mortar had been sharp-eyed.

“You have to visualise this thing with six fins on the bottom. We would always encourage people to ring us if they find something they are unsure of – leave it where it is, call the emergency services and under no circumstances take it home,” he said.