Coastguards lowered Petty Officer Jess Owen down a 200ft cliff, near Beachy Head, to deal with 26 shells that had lain hidden on a beach since the World War II and had become exposed by the recent stormy weather and tides.

Specialists carried out four controlled explosions at Eastbourne to make safe the shells.

The shells, which weighed 25lbs each, were carried away from the cliffs to the water's edge where they were buried in sandbags and detonated.

A Royal Navy spokesman said: "The shells were very close to the cliff. So, remembering what happened at Dover this week when a large section of the cliff fell, we did not want that to happen at Beachy Head at this dodgy time of year when the rocks are in danger of cracking through frost.

An exclusion zone of one-mile was enforced by Sussex police while the operation was carried out and closed the road between Beachy Head and Burling Gap.