PART of Scarborough's South Bay beach was cordoned off by police today, after police received reports of an unexploded bomb.

A member of the public phoned police at just before 5pm to report what they believed to be a military shell on the beach, about 100m from the lifeboat centre in Foreshore Road.

Officers cordoned off the beach as a precaution, and photographs of the item were sent to the Army's bomb squad, who analysed them and confirmed it the item was not an explosive, but a lead weight.

The beach was reopened by 6pm