A Second World War bomb was discovered at Westgate and Birchington Golf Club on Wednesday. ​

The land mine was blown up off Botany Bay after being found at Westgate and Birchington golf club on Wednesday.

​It was exploded by the bomb disposal unit from Chelmsford in Essex in the afternoon after the police moved it from the coursegreen.​

The mine, described as being the size of a dinner plate, was found by a greens-keeper who was digging a hole to plant trees on the course.

​Club manager Terry Sharp said: “It’s very strange that there was a land mine there because the golf course was open during the war.​

“It was quite lucky because we have greens-keeping machinery which could have set it off.”

​The discovery meant that holes 2 to 12 had to be closed on Wednesday from 11.30am to 3.45pm.​

Police cleared the popular beach at Botany Bay while t he Royal Logistics Corps carried out a controlled explosion just before 5pm.

​Sandbags were packed around the mine to smother the explosion. Residents and tourists gathered on the nearby clifftops to watch the action.

One resident said the explosion rocked his house and windows.