People living near Dundrennan have voiced concerns

The explosion is said to have rocked the dredger, The Cork Sands, and damaged its hull.

The incident took place last Thursday, but details are only now emerging.

The MoD was informed of the blast and a bomb disposal squad and divers from Faslane were sent to the scene.

However, coastguards were not informed until two days later.

Privately, they are said to be angry and concerned.

Unexploded bombs

Scottish National Party MSP Mr Morgan described the incident as "extremely worrying".

He said Galloway had been left with the junk of years of military activity.

Mr Morgan said it was not acceptable for boats to be dredging up unexploded bombs while going about their lawful business.

And he stressed that high-pressure gas pipelines and bombs did not mix.

Alasdair Morgan: "Extremely worrying"

A spokesperson for the Irish Gas Board said the vessel belonged to a contractor working on its behalf.

She confirmed the damage to the dredger, but said the cause was being investigated by consultants.

Their report has not yet been received by the board.

There are long-standing local concerns over the dangers posed by munitions off the coast of Dumfries and Galloway.

One range at Luce Bay was used to test cluster bombs, while munitions have been dumped into the Irish Sea in an area known as Beauforts Dyke.

Down the years various munitions and phosphorous flares have washed up along the Galloway coastline.

No more tests

The Dundrennan range has itself courted controversy over the testing of depleted uranium shells.

This practice was put on hold by the MoD last summer after Defence Minister Lewis Moonie said no more tests were needed.

Thousands of depleted uranium tipped shells have been test fired from the range into the Solway Firth in the past 20 years.

However, some residents living near the facility had been calling for the tests to be stopped amid allegations of a possible link between depleted uranium and cancer.