Grenade found in Banbury, Oxfordshire by magnet fisherman

The grenade was pulled from the waterway in Banbury by magnet fisherman Shane Phillips just before 6pm on Sunday.

Mr Phillips was magnet fishing, the hobby of searching in outdoor waters for magnetic objects, at 5.50pm when he pulled the unexploded grenade out of the canal.

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The bomb which was found. Picture: Shane Phillips

An army bomb squad was called to the canal to safely deal with he explosive device.

Pictures shared by Mr Phillips on Facebook show the rusted, unexploded bomb sitting on the floor.

Police and members of the armed forces were photographed on the scene, with the canal cordoned off with police tape.

The scene was cordoned off by police. Picture: Shane Phillips

Mr Phillips said the incident was "very frightening" because it could have "gone bang" with him on the end of the bomb.

"I won't be here risking my life for a hobby," he said.

A bomb squad was called to the scene. Picture: Shane Phillips

A spokesperson for Thames Valley Police said: "Thames Valley Police were called to a report of a grenade being found in the canal, near Station Approach, Banbury, at around 6pm yesterday (May 15). The Explosive Ordnance Disposal team were called and carried out a controlled explosion on the grenade at around 9pm."

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This story was written by Sophie Perry, she joined the team in 2021 as a digital reporter.

You can get in touch with her by emailing: sophie.perry@newsquest.co.uk

Follow her on Twitter @itssophieperry

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