A magnet fisherman has described the “nerve-wracking” moment he discovered a bin bag full of nearly 400 live bombs in a river.
Dave Jordan, 47, found railway detonators while clearing the site on the River Nene in Northampton.
Police closed a nearby road to stop pedestrians and traffic until the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) unit arrived. They collected up to 379 rail detonators and safely removed them.
Mr Jordan, who regularly goes magnet fishing with friends, said he was thankful they didn’t go off.
“They can be volatile”, he explained. “One isn’t a massive bang, but 379 in a bag was pretty scary.
“The police arrived really quickly and closed off the street. I didn’t expect all the mayhem to be honest.
“It would have been a big bang if they had all gone off in one go.”
Dave Jordan was, understandably, happy the detonators didn’t go off – Jam Press
Railway detonators are small explosives used to warn train drivers of hazards or obstructions ahead.
They are placed on the rails and explode when a train wheel passes over them, producing a loud bang to alert the driver.
Mr Jordan added: “We go all around the UK and have even been to the USA and found some crazy stuff.
“But I didn’t expect to find a whole bag full of detonators. It was nerve wracking. It actually blew my mind.”
A Northamptonshire Police spokesman said: “Shortly after 4 pm on Sunday, April 13, a member of the public reported that they had found some railway detonators while clearing the canal behind the Carlsberg site in Northampton.
“A road closure was put in place to stop pedestrians and traffic from driving close to the site until the EOD arrived.
“This was lifted at about 7.35 pm.
“The EOD collected up to 379 rail detonators and safely removed them from the site.”
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