THE Ministry of Defence (MOD) is warning residents and holidaymakers about the risks when entering shared land used for training during the summer, including at Lulworth.

The MOD’s ‘Respect the Range’ campaign has been launched to warn visitors of the “very real” risks they face including live firing, unexploded ordnance and fast-moving military vehicles.

The MOD said: “Accessing military training estate areas when it is not safe to do so not only places visitors in harm’s way, but can also put service personnel at risk and interrupt vital training exercises designed to prepare our Armed Forces’ to deploy in real-life situations.”

Visitors are being urged to check training times before they travel, stick to public access routes, observe safety information including red flags, fences, signs and by-laws while on military land; and report any ordnance they come across and not touch it.

Brigadier Jonathan Bartholomew, DIO’s head of overseas region and the defence training estate, said: "These beauty spots are shared land, where families, tourists and locals spend time. But it’s also where our Armed Forces practice live-fire training, so it can go from tranquil to treacherous by the hour, 24 hours a day."