Shock at find in canal
A was left “shaking like a leaf” when he pulled a suspected grenade from a canal while fishing with a magnetic device in Bath.
Toby Scott was trying out his Christmas present, a neodymium magnet, when he dredged up what he believes was a World War Two bomb from the Kennet and Avon Canal. Police closed Bathwick Hill for two to three hours from about 1.30pm on Sunday before a bomb squad detonated the device nearby.
Mr Scott, a 28-year-old electrician, says the lucky escape has “definitely” put him off magnet fishing, adding: “I was scared I might have lost a limb or killed myself or others.”
The Bath resident was with his friend Elliott Bromfield, 35, who had introduced him to the hobby.
Mr Scott said: “We were watching magnet fishing videos online and people were pulling out guns and grenades from somewhere near Birmingham.
“We certainly weren’t expecting to pull out anything like that in the centre of Bath. I got the magnet as a present for Christmas and it was the first time we were using it.”
The magnet, worth around £150, is “one of the most powerful known to man” according to the product’s website, Mr Scott says.
He said: “It was about the fifth throw into the water that we got the grenade. Before that we’d got part of an old toy car.”
The magnet was attached to a 30-metre rope wrapped around Mr Scott’s leg.
“When we brought it up the fifth time, I could tell that there was something on the end,” he said.
“It felt not much heavier than the magnet itself, as that weighs over a kilo on its own.
“It was a goose egg sort of shape. It looked like a very small pineapple. My friend Elliott is in the military and he could tell it was definitely a grenade.”
The pair believe it was one of the “Mills bomb” hand grenades used in World War Two.
“It was a bit of a shock,” Mr Scott said. “I was shaking like a leaf.
“We took a couple of pictures obviously, and then I very precariously lowered it back in the water. It sunk back down again.
“I undid the rope from my leg and left it beside the canal.
“Elliott was reassuring me a bit. He said the only way it could become volatile was if it dried out, because the water subdues the explosive power inside.”
Mr Scott called police on 101, before being redirected to 999.
He said: “It ended up with about 12 police officers turning up and putting up cordons. It was absolute carnage.
“There were at least four PCS by the Tesco Express on Bathwick Hill, and another four PCSOS. They were ushering everyone away from the area.
“They were on about having to close the Tesco, but in the end it carried on trading as usual, though the staff had to regularly check with the authorities.”
Mr Scott says the bomb disposal team attended two to three hours after he pulled up the item.
“Once they got there, they only took about 20 minutes to remove it,” he added. “They used the magnet to pull it back up because it was still attached.
“They chopped the rope off with the magnet and grenade still attached to each other, then took them both away in a metal toolbox.
“I believe they detonated the grenade up at the top of Bathwick Hill, in a green space area.”
The bomb squad thanked Mr Scott before they left.
“They said if a boat had been going over it and it went off, it could have been a disaster,” he added.
Last year the Canal & River Trust told the BBC it did not approve of the practice and encouraged enthusiasts to arrange “organised events”.
An Avon and Somerset police spokesman said the item was removed safely and there was no risk to the wider area.
It looked like a very small pineapple. My friend Elliott is in the military and he could tell it was definitely a grenade. It was a bit of a shock. I was shaking like a leaf. Toby Scott