UK magnet fisherman hoists dozens of small explosive devices from canal

Fisherman said the explosives were 'safer out than they are in' the canal

Small track explosives pulled out of a canal by magnet fisherman Dave Jordan in Northampton. PA

A magnet fisherman has described the “gut-wrenching” moment he pulled 52 track explosives out of a canal in Northampton, UK.

Track explosives are small explosives that can be placed on the surface of train tracks and, when run over by trains, cause a loud bang and alert the driver to a hazard ahead, the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) said.

Dave Jordan, a 44-year-old small business owner from Northampton, was magnet fishing on the Grand Union Canal, Northampton, when he pulled in the 52 explosives.

He said the explosives were each “roughly the size of a watch face”, and added that he did not know how they ended up in the canal.

Mr Jordan said that the explosives were “safer out than they are in” the canal.

“It’s exciting, but it’s very gut-wrenching as well,” he said after locating the objects.

While this was not the first time he had found explosives while magnet fishing, Mr Jordan said it was the most he had ever found.

“When we get explosives, when we’re doing what we’re doing, it’s a bit of a ‘oh no, not again’. Because we have to call the police. We have to pack up our magnets. We have to move on,” he said.

A British Army bomb disposal team conducted a “controlled explosion” of the objects, a statement from Northamptonshire Police said.

Police said they were called at 9.50am on Thursday “following reports that a man magnet fishing had pulled up a number of track explosives”.

“Officers from [Explosive Ordnance Disposal] attended and at about 2.20pm, a controlled explosion was carried out,” a police statement said.

Mr Jordan said he began magnet fishing about eight years ago after he watched a documentary about mudlarking, or scavenging in river mud for items of value.

He recently began uploading footage of his finds to his YouTube channel and his videos have received thousands of views.