Gone fishing – and hooked a grenade!
THE bomb squad was called in after an explosive was pulled from a canal under a bridge.
Emergency services attended the scene on Bank Bridge in Tarleton and closed the road in both directions between Coe Lane and Carr House Lane, at about 4pm on Thursday.
The incident was sparked when magnet fisherman Tob Trowler pulled a rusty grenade from the Leeds Liverpool canal.
The 29-year-old from Ormskirk said: “I was with my friend. It’s the first time I’ve magnet fished at that bridge but I magnet fish a few times a week.
“I realised about 10 seconds after pulling it out it was a grenade but it took a couple of minutes to be 100%.”
Magnet fishers, who use large magnets to pull metal objects from rivers and canals, often make
discoveries like these. The magnets are strong enough to remove large debris such as discarded bicycles, guns, safes, bombs, coins and car wheel rims from the water, but many hope to find rare and valuable items.
A Lancashire police spokesperson said at the time: “A grenade has been found in the canal resulting in emergency road closures and a cordon being put into place.”
Lancashire Constabulary Specials posted a message online: “Spotted a log on the screen for a found grenade just down the road.
“Attended on foot and spoke with two magnet fisherman who had managed to fish out a WW1 Miller (sic) grenade.
“Cordon and road closure in place, EOD attended to remove the device.”
They added: “Can’t say it’s often we get to watch grenades blown up in close proximity.
“It was remotely detonated using other small explosives and a large number of sandbags as well as the technical expertise of the EOD team.”
Pictures taken at the scene show the bomb disposal squad carrying out a controlled explosion in a field nearby the scene where the grenade was found.
Roads were reopened at around 6.30pm.
Local people gave their reaction to the drama.
Writing on the force’s Facebook page, Louise Rawstron said: “I do hope the magnet fishermen have decent insurance, I think a limb or two might be missing if that had of gone off on their person!”
Denis Mcevoy said: “My father was in the Irish Army in the 1920s shortly after independence and he told me they used to throw Mills grenades into the River Shannon so they could have fresh salmon or any other fish in the vicinity, he did say they got a 6lb eel which is a monster.”