A keen magnet fisher got more than he bargained for when he pulled what he thought was a WWII bomb out of Bath canal.

Ben Smith had taken up the hobby three months ago and since has found many interesting items including guns and even a safe containing costume jewellery.

But a more recent find prompted a call to the police and bomb squad after discovering what he and his friends thought was a wartime bomb.

Ben had travelled to the canal in Bath with his friends on August 27 when he pulled up the heavy metal object.

The 39-year-old said: "The guy I was with said 'that's a flipping bomb' - I said 'no its not'.

"A couple of people sat on a bench heard us saying bomb and started panicking. I wrapped it in a towel and took it home.

"I spoke to a few people that evening about it, one person knew about stuff like this said it looks like a projectile fuse from WWII missing its tail end - I didn't sleep well then."

The next day he took the 'bomb' - which he'd left in the boot of his car - to his usual magnet fishing spot in Lullington and called the police, who then called the bomb squad.

Thankfully though, the heavy item the dad had wrapped in a towel in his boot for the night was nothing more than a lump of scrap metal.

An Avon and Somerset Police spokesperson said: “We were called to the river by Staplemead Creamery, in Oldford near Frome, on Sunday 28 August following reports of suspected bomb being pulled from the river.

"An officer initially attended the scene and put a cordon in place. The bomb squad later arrived and established it was not a bomb. It was a call with good intent."

It's not put Ben off though - he says there are too many interesting things to find. He has even bought magnets for his two children aged 10 and seven so they can do it as a family.

Ben was three weeks into his magnet fishing hobby when he found a Smith and Wesson .38/44 revolver that he pulled out of the river at Woolverton. It was so corroded that the police let him keep it.

He said: "When I pulled the first gun out and lifted it onto the bridge it was spinning around on the rope. I thought, oh my god that's a gun. I went cold. I thought, 'I've got a gun in my hands'. It gives you a real rush for it (magnet fishing)."