Marine flare disposal site to be set up in West Bay

Dorset Council will run the service from a specialist container

Author: Trevor Bevins, Local Democracy ReporterPublished 9th Jan 2025

West Bay is to become a designated drop off point for out-of-date marine flares.

The service will fill the gap between existing facilities at Southampton and Plymouth.

Dorset Council’s harbour advisory committee has been told that a specialist container would be needed to offer the service.

A small fee would also been to be charged to cover the cost of setting up and running the services, which will be operated by the authority's harbour staff.

Most marine distress flares have an expiration date stamped on them, usually four years after they were manufactured.

They can become a fire hazard under certain conditions and are classed as an explosive under 2014 UK legislation.

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