Father and son drown during canal ‘magnet fishing’ tragedy

A FATHER and his teenage son have died in an apparent accident while ‘magnet fishing’ by a canal.

They are believed to have both drowned, probably after one went in to the water to rescue the other.

Police were called when personal possessions were found on the towpath and divers later found the bodies of both men underwater.

They were named locally yesterday as Martin Andrews, 43, and his son Jack, 19, who had gone out for the day together to pursue their hobby.

Magnet fishing is likened to metal detecting in water. A strong magnet is attached to a rope and dragged along the bottom of a river or canal to trawl for metal items. The ‘fisherman’ remains on the bank and all kinds of objects are frequently found by enthusiasts hoping to land something valuable.

No witnesses have been traced, but local people from the area on the outskirts of Huddersfield said the currents in the stretch of water, next to a lock, are deceptively strong.

Anyone falling into the water would have found it difficult to climb out due to a submerged, sloping bank and there is no lifesaving equipment nearby. Tragically a ladder, less than 50 yards from where the men are believed to have drowned, would have been out of sight.

Mr Andrews, a married father of two, left the family home in Pudsey, West Yorkshire, early on Saturday with Jack.

The men were fishing near Cooper Bridge, a section of canal bypassing a weir on the River Calder.

Stephen Hydes, who was fishing at the site yesterday, said: ‘Any water is dangerous if you can’t swim and if they went in by the lock gates they would not have been able to stand up.’

‘They would not have been able to stand up’