A SHOCKED magnet fisher has spoken of the moment he pulled an unexploded bomb from a canal near Worcester.

Stewart Jones, the founder of Redditch-based Kingfisher Magneteers group, said there was a moment of panic when a member pulled the unexploded ordinance from the canal on Offerton Lane, in Hindlip.

However, he kept a cool head and called the police who set up a 200m cordon and road closure so the Explosive Ordnance Disposal specialists could safely explode the device.

Specialists made the device safe before the road was reopened several hours later.

READ MORE: Unexploded bomb found in canal by Offerton Lane in Hindlip

Mr Jones said it was the first time his group had ever found an explosive device and Sunday's ordeal was very unexpected.

He said: "We were all stationed about 10 metres from each other along the canal when our group member Clare Murray called us over to say she has found something she at first thought was a toy.

"I quickly realised that it could in fact be an explosive so I tried to keep a level head and follow the safety precautions.

"A lot of the team around me were panicking but we were able to put the explosive back into water in a  bucket and we immediately called the police.

"I was actually filming at the time and managed to capture roughly nine seconds of audio where you can hear the explosion."

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Mr Jones was asked to send in a picture of the explosive device and within five minutes police arrived.

He said: "Police immediately established a cordon and we packed up our gear and moved within a safe distance."

Mr Jones said despite the discovery, the group does not go out with the intention of finding explosives.

He said: "I think it is a common misconception that we are always looking for these kind of things. 

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"Some magnet fishers are definitely more interested in the treasure hunting aspect but we see it as more of an environmental practice, getting harmful items out of the water.

"in the past we have found a pump action shotgun, a gun barrel dating back to 1852 and even a small canon ball."

For more about Kingfisher Magneteers, you can visit their YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@KingfisherMagneteers2022 or on TikTok by searching @kingfishermagneteers.