Pipe bomb disposed of

Tauranga: A suspected pipe bomb found on a Bay of Plenty beach has been disposed of by the bomb squad.

Police said a member of the public alerted local firefighters to a suspicious pipe, a little smaller than a shoebox, on a rock at the northern end of the beach. The area was cordoned off and police were called about 1.20pm.

Senior Constable Brett Otto said the bomb had probably been made by ‘‘kids mucking around and playing silly buggers’’.

A police media spokeswoman later said the bomb had been disposed of without incident and inquiries into how it came to be there were ongoing. — NZME