Dawlish News

The Fire Brigade and the Police were called to Dawlish Community College this morning after a suspicious package was discovered in the school. The school was cordoned off and evacuated.

After speaking to one of the Firemen on the scene he was able to advise that the package was a mortar round, apparently taken into school by someone. They were not able to establish if it was live.

Later, a Royal Navy bomb disposal team arrived at the school and discovered that the device was a military flare. The flare was bought in entirely innocently by a student for a military-themed film project.

Former Royal Marine Pc Rob Condy-Young said the device was a white phosphorous round used to light up the battlefield, used either for training exercises or operations.

These types of rounds contain a small amount of explosive filler with a parachute flare and white phosphorous which can burn quite fluorescently on contact with air, although it was confirmed that the flare had already been fired.