Father and son find World War II bomb while magnet fishing

July 9 (UPI) -- A British man magnet fishing with his 6-year-old son ended up calling police when they reeled in an object identified as a World War II-era bomb.

Ben Austin said he and his son, Finley, were magnet fishing in the River Mole from a bridge in Dorking, England, when their magnet attached to a metal object in the water.

"As soon as I pulled it up, I was like 'what is that?' If you said to me what a WW2 bomb looks like I would think a massive car tire; it looked a miniature size. I thought 'this is a bomb.' My son was trying to grab it and pull it up and I said, 'no, this is a real bomb,'" Austin told SurreyLive.

Austin called 999 and was asked to text photos of the object to police. Officers advised him to get a safe distance away from the object while a bomb disposal unit was summoned to the scene.

He said the experts detonated the magnet, as it was still attached to the explosive, but the experience made it worth the $25 purchase.

"I was happy to let the magnet get blown into smithereens," he said.

A pair of boys magnet fishing in Finland's Lake Vesijarvi earlier in July made a similar discovery when they reeled in a rusty hand grenade. The explosive device was taken away by a Defense Forces team.