A TEAM of Royal Navy divers from Plymouth has safely exploded a World War Two mine underwater off the South West coast.

The members of the Southern Dive Group, based in Devonport Naval Base, were called to Dorset to deal with the ordnance by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.

The bomb was discovered by chance by commercial divers and was lying in about 21 metres of water one mile off the centre of Swanage, near Ballard Point.

The ordnance was an air-dropped German landmine containing 300kg of high explosive, and on detonation created a spectacular plume of water 150 to 200 feet high.

Dorset Police and the MCA created a 1km land and sea exclusion zone round the site to keep walkers and boat-users safe.

A spokesman for the Royal Navy Southern Dive Group said: "This was a textbook operation for us. Everything went as planned.

"Most importantly, the detonation went safely and the sea and shoreline is now a safer place."