Magnet fisherman pulls 19 grenades out of British river

Dec. 23 (UPI) -- Police and a bomb squad responded to a river on the outskirts of a British city after a magnet fisherman reeled in 19 World War II-era grenades from the body of water.

Che Williams said he was using his magnet to search for metal debris in the River Tame at a location just outside of Birmingham when he pulled the first grenade out of the water.

Williams said he remained in the same spot and pulled up a total 19 grenades, which appeared to date from World War II.

The magnet fisherman noticed two of the grenades still had their pins in place, leading him to contact police.

Police evacuated the area and an Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit arrived at the scene to investigate the grenades.

The team used an X-ray on the devices and determined they did not contain explosives or detonators.

Williams said he was disappointed to learn the bomb squad would be destroying the grenades due to policy for such discoveries.

Atherstone & Coleshill Police posted photos of the grenades on Facebook along with a reminder for residents to be careful of potentially dangerous discoveries while magnet fishing.