TWO unexploded shells, which were found by a member of the public, have since gone missing.

Police are urging anyone who has seen the shells to contact them immediately - one of the shells was assessed as unstable and potentially dangerous.

The shells were found on Thursday night at Hurst Spit in Milford-on-Sea and were cordoned off, with plans made for an Explosive Ordnance Disposal team to attend the site Friday morning.

A spokesperson for Hampshire Constabulary said: "We were contacted by the coastguard shortly before 9.30pm on Thursday, March 30, informing us that a member of the public had called to say he’d found two unexploded shells at Hurst Spit.
 
"We contacted the member of the public and gave him advice to leave them in situ and get out of his car. However, by the time officers arrived at the scene, the man had returned the shells to the top of the spit at Milford on Sea."

Chief Inspector Rob Mitchell, district commander for the New Forest, added: “Photographs were taken of the items and we consulted the Explosive Ordnance Disposal team for advice, as is standard practice. The EOD advised they would attend at first light.

“A decision was made to set up a cordon around the shells and officers returned to the scene in the early hours of the morning to find the shells still in situ.

“When officers attended the scene again shortly before 7.30am, the shells had gone but the police tape and the towel they had been placed on were still there.”

Police are warning anyone who sees the shells to not go near them, and to stand as far away as possible before calling them immediately.

Anyone with information about where the shells are is asked to contact police on 101, quoting incident 996 of today's date.

In a separate incident, four World War II mortars were discovered at nearby Hordle Cliff beach on Wednesday during work to remove anti-tank defences.

The shells, believed to be spigot mortars, were found by contractors. 

The coastguard was immediately informed and arrived on site. They cordoned off the ordnance and surrounding area of the beach. An Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team from Portsmouth attended the site early yesterday morning.

One mortar was detonated safely on the beach and the devices recovered were removed from the site to be disposed of.

No munitions have previously been found on this beach during New Forest District Council’s (NFDC) works to remove the wartime defences over the last nine years.

Steve Cook, NFDC’s coastal and public facilities manager, said: “Discoveries like this are not unusual on the south coast, although this is the first time we have found ordnance during our works at Hordle Cliff. 

"Work to remove the most prominent sections of World War II defences, known as Admiralty scaffolding, has since resumed.

"They are partially buried in the sand, just below the waterline, but emerge periodically due to erosion caused by rough weather."