A 1000lb Second World War bomb was blown up at sea this morning after fishermen dragged it up in their nets.

The huge device was caught by a two-man crew on board the trawler Sajen, seven miles off Newhaven.

The crew alerted Dover Coastguard, who called in the Royal Navy's bomb disposal unit.

The Newhaven lifeboat was waiting to take the bomb squad out to the boat.

The bomb was gently lowered back into the sea and a controlled explosion was carried out.

Lieutenant Commander David Welch said: "We had to get the bomb back in the water.

"This took about an hour because the trawler did not have equipment which could lift it. So we set up our own and gently dropped it over the side."

When it had settled 40ft down on the seabed, a fuse was attached and ignited.

The trawler returned to Newhaven with its catch intact and the crew unharmed.