World War II torpedo blown up off Isle of Wight Published duration 10 September 2016

image copyright PA image caption The World War II torpedo was towed from Portsmouth Harbour out to sea and detonated by bomb disposal experts

A World War II torpedo has been blown up in the sea off the Isle of Wight after it was found by a dredging barge on the seabed in Portsmouth Harbour.

The device was discovered by the vessel's underwater cameras in the harbour at about 15:00 BST on Friday.

It was towed by a Navy bomb disposal team to a detonation site in the Solent, where a controlled explosion was carried out at 08:45.

Following the find, some trains were halted and early ferries were delayed.

Wightlink Ferries said services were now back on schedule.

The train line between Portsmouth and Southsea and Portsmouth Harbour has also re-opened.

Public safety

A spokesman for Portsmouth's Queen's Harbour Master said: "We worked very hard to make sure the harbour was not closed.

"There were restrictions put in place for public safety and there was a certain amount of disruption to vessels earlier while the torpedo was towed out."

Dredging work is being carried out in Portsmouth harbour to allow the the navy's new 65,000-tonne aircraft carriers to dock.

Three million cubic metres of sea bed is being removed to deepen and widen a 4 mile (7km) channel.