A 10-year-old boy searching for crabs on a Kent beach instead discovered a large hoard of live ammunition.

Joshua Gough was clambering on the rocks near Hampton Pier in Herne Bay on Saturday morning when he came across more than 60 bullets.

The youngster, who attends Ospringe Primary School in Faversham, did not initially know if the ammo was real, so called his dad, who came to take a look.

"He knows all about this stuff," Joshua said.

"When I showed him what I had found he was quite shocked."

Having served 10 years in the Royal Navy, Joshua's dad, Jon Gough, recognised immediately the bullets were still active.

"I was shocked - I think we both were," said Mr Gough, who now works as an electrical engineer.

"It's not what you expect to find on a Kent beach. Josh was quite excited really.

"We thought about leaving them where they were in case the police needed to see, but the tide was coming in so we picked them up and put them in our beach hut.

"We called 999 and they asked if I would be be able to hand them into a local police station, but I said no - I wasn't prepared to put them in my vehicle.

"Eventually the local police came out and took them away."

Mr Gough, from Doddington, says there was a mix of pistol and rifle ammo of various sizes,. He thinks they may have been ditched off the side of the pier.

"I'm really proud of Josh for telling me about it straight away," he said.

"Goodness knows what would have happened if he'd just filled his pockets with the stuff and taken it home

"I was concerned about them falling into the wrong hands. Not necessarily criminals but teenagers doing something stupid with them, like trying to set them off or hitting them with a hammer."

A police spokesperson confirmed officers were called at 11.05am on Saturday.

They added: "Officers attended and seized the ammunition. Enquiries into the circumstances are ongoing."