Detecting an anomaly in an object of electrically conductive material

Detecting the presence of an anomaly in or near an object using a probe comprises:a) selecting a set of points on the near surface which are to be inspected, and selecting a first direction and a second direction;b) selecting a first inspection point from the set;c) positioning the probe at the selected inspection point in the first direction, inducing eddy currents in the object and determining a characteristic value of the electromagnetic field;d) positioning the probe in the second direction at the selected inspection point, inducing eddy currents in the object and determining a characteristic value of the electromagnetic field;e) selecting a next inspection point from the set and repeating steps c) and d) until all inspection points have had their turn; andf) inferring that an anomaly is present at an inspection point if a combination of the characteristic values in the first and second direction deviates significantly from a norm.