ROYAL Navy divers were last night sent to scout a suspected unexploded bomb in The Solent.

A 900-metre exclusion zone was set up at Chilling Beach, near Warsash, after an object was unearthed by a dredger.

The object was found in the sea at 11.25am yesterday morning and later inspected by Royal Navy divers.

It is thought to be a piece of unexploded ordnance, but no further details have been released.

A spokesman for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency said bomb disposal experts had decided to destroy the object rather than remove it.

A controlled explosion was expected to be carried out at 7.45pm last night, as the Echo went to press.