Collapsed nuclear bunker to be left on beach

A former Cold War bunker that fell into the sea in East Yorkshire last month is to be left on the beach to disintegrate.

The brick structure on the eroding coastline at Tunstall was originally designed as a look-out post to detect nuclear explosions.

The Crown Estate, which owns the beach below, said it was safer to leave the remains of the building in place.

"Following a risk assessment, we have decided to leave the monitoring post in place on the beach," said the independent business, which belongs to the monarch.

The bunker succumbed to the mercy of the sea last month, and is believed to have fallen at some point overnight on 22/23 January.

The brick building is believed to be almost 70 years old and was designed as a monitoring post in the event of a nuclear war.

It was one of a number of nuclear monitoring posts around the UK, according to the historical research group Subterranea Brittannica.

Known as the Tunstall ROC (Royal Observer Corps) Post, it is believed to have been built in 1959 and decommissioned in the early 1990s.

But its biggest threat has been coastal erosion and the Crown Estate said the cost of removing it outweighed the risks of leaving it there.

The structure, which weighs 30 tonnes, presented no active risk, the estate said, and it was not possible to enter it.

This curious feature in its crumbling landscape will be inspected annually to ensure public safety.

The area has some of the fastest eroding coastline in the UK, according to the Environment Agency.

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