A team of bomb disposal experts from the Royal Navy have blown up a German mine after it was dredged up by a fishing boat off the coast of Sheerness.

The Second World War parachute mine contained 1,500 pounds of high explosive and initial attempts to destroy it on Saturday failed.

Navy divers used mine-lifting airbags to bring the device to the surface before towing it six miles east of Sheerness and two miles off Warden Point.

A one-mile safety zone was set up around the site while the controlled explosion took place.

The four-man Navy team which is part of Southern Diving Unit 2 (SDU2), was led by petty officer diver John O'Brien.

Their work regularly involves clearing Second World War ordnance from the beaches and waters around the southern and eastern part of England.

Lieutenant Dan Herridge, the officer commanding SDU2, said: "Due to the amount of high explosive in the mine, which posed a significant risk to public safety, it was necessary for the mine to be lifted and taken to a safe location to be dealt with."