A beach on the south coast was evacuated on Sunday afternoon after a suspected unexploded bomb was discovered.
The object, which washed ashore in Beer, a seaside village in east Devon, is believed by some witnesses to be a shell.
It was swept back out to sea before it could be assessed by a bomb squad, the coastguard said.
Devon and Cornwall Police said they received reports of a “suspected unexploded ordnance” at 4pm and put a cordon in place, which has since been lifted.
It is understood the suspected device may have first been spotted by a metal detectorist and identified by a second person, who raised the alarm.
An explosive ordnance disposal unit attended the scene but could not access the object because of incoming tides, HM Coastguard said.
Coastguard rescue teams will return at low tide to “reassess the situation”, the service added.
In a Facebook post, the Beer Coastguard Rescue Team warned residents not to touch the item if it washes ashore elsewhere and to call 999 and ask for the coastguard.
Martin Richards, chairman of Beer Parish Council, earlier told the PA news agency a “full squad of coastguards” was on the beach and people could not “get anywhere near it”.
He added: “A shell may have washed up onto the beach earlier on today. The beach has been evacuated.”
