went off in his face.

Jonathan Wainwright, 41, was walking along Warwick Long Bay on Sunday afternoon when he noticed a yellow canister washed up on some rocks.

But when he picked it up the flare discharged, burning him in the face.

Mr. Wainwright said: "I was walking along the beach when I saw this yellow cylinder on the rocks. There was this piece of rope at one end with a handle on it and I just thought that's how you pick it up.

"But there was no resistance to it. As soon as I picked up the handle it just went off.

"It wasn't so much an explosion as a whoosh. I was really shocked but I managed to walk back to my bike and drive to Devonshire to my wife and daughter.

"Luckily I was wearing sunglasses. The Police have them at the moment and they've told me they're really damaged, although my sight's okay.

"It was a smoke flare and what burnt me was the powder charge which hit me in the forehead.

"I went to hospital and had my eyes washed out with a saline solution and also given some sunburn lotion.

"But my advice to anyone who sees anything like this is not to touch it. Just telephone the Police and let them know that it's there. Lots of people have these things and I think this one came off a sunken boat and was just washed ashore. It's just lucky that a child didn't find it first.'' Police explosive experts were called in to recover the device which is believed to be a man overboard distress marker.

TEACHERS TO MEET ON TALKS ED Teachers to meet on talks Some 600 teachers are expected to meet next week to discuss their next course of action after months of talks with education officials for a new collective agreement broke down.

Bermuda Union of Teachers president Michael Charles said the executive wanted to meet with the general membership before the mid-term break on Friday, but they were still trying to secure a venue.

"We want to find out where they want to go,'' Mr. Charles said, referring to negotiations which ended last week after officials from the Education Ministry rejected the union's final proposal.

The proposal was believed to be similar to that recently reached between Government and white collar workers.

Government and the Bermuda Public Service Association agreed to a raise of 2.98 percent for the next two years and several other benefits, including an extra day of leave.

Teachers, who have been working without a contract since August 31 last year, were also believed to have asked for an extra day. But their proposal was denied.

The BUT has asked Labour and Home Affairs Minister Quinton Edness to have the matter go to arbitration.

WOMAN MAGISTRATE RETIRES CTS Woman magistrate retires Bermuda's only woman magistrate is to quit at the end of the month.

Magistrate Cheryl Ann Mapp, 33, became one of the Island's youngest magistrates in 1991.

Renowned for her no-nonsense approach, Mrs. Mapp currently hears young offenders cases in family court.

Last night the former Crown counsel was unavailable for comment. But Senior Magistrate Will Francis confirmed that Mrs. Mapp would be retiring from the courts at the end of the month.

"I am sorry to see her go as I enjoyed working with her,'' Mr. Francis said.

It is understood Mrs. Mapp will remain in the legal profession but work in corporate law.