Hotplate sparks alert

A tense situation involving an apparent landmine under a Mt Maunganui house was defused yesterday after Defence Force bomb disposal unit members identified the mystery object as an old and corroded hotplate.

A builder renovating the Oceanbeach Rd house found the 25cm-diameter, 2.5cm-thick object about 10.30am with wires coming out of it, buried in sand under the house.

The Auckland-based explosives specialists arrived at the scene about 2pm, finding the object to be instead an old, asbestos-filled cooking appliance.