WW2 German mine blown up by Royal Navy in the Solent

The bomb was moved to to open waters off Bembridge, on the Isle of Wight to be detonated

Experts from the Royal Navy have managed to destroy a Second World War German mine in the ocean.

Footage released by the Royal Navy shows the explosion sent a huge plume of dirty water almost 1,000ft into the air.

The mine was found on the seabed of the the Solent, just a mile off Southsea, near Portsmouth, on Thursday. A crane barge made the discovery whilst dredging along the seabed.

The Royal Navy moved the bomb to open waters off Bembridge, on the Isle of Wight. Here, the team detonated the bomb in controlled conditions.

Those who saw the explosion described “hearing a dull groan from the depth and then saw a huge plume of seawater surging more than 900ft in the air”, reported Sky News.

Petty Officer Richard Ellis, who was in charge of the disposal team, said: “These mines were laid in their thousands during World War Two, but are rarely encountered these days.

“It’s only the second one we have dealt with in three years. The other one was in the mouth of the Thames.

“The mine was in quite good condition and they were engineered to a very high standard which is probably why it has stayed safe all these years."

The bomb had been air-dropped during the Second World War and and weighed 1,500lb (680kg).