Angler Steve Redhead had a miracle escape when his fishing weight flew at him 'like a bullet' and lodged in the side of his face.

Please note some people may find the second image distressing.

Steve, 51, was hoping to land some carp at Walley's Carp Lake in Osmington, but became the catch himself after his lead weight snagged on overhanging branches.

He yanked his rod a couple of times to free the line, causing the weight to fly 50 feet through the air and hit him in the face.

Steve thought it had just grazed him at first until friend Matt Barnes told him it was embedded in his right cheek.

Steve, from Weymouth, Dorset, was rushed to Poole hospital where doctors discovered the weight had missed his cheek and jaw bone. He needed 12 stiches to close the wound.

Steve, who jet washes wheelie bins for a living, was told the weight could easily have killed him had it hit him in an eye, throat or gone through his mouth.

He said: "I had been fishing for about three quarters of an hour but hadn't caught anything.

"We were fishing quite close to a tree because we knew carp hide out there in the winter months.

"My line got snagged in some of the branches so I tried a couple of gentle tugs. When that didn't work I lost my patience a little bit and gave it a massive yank.

"Then I just remember catching a quick glimpse of the weight coming straight at me like a bullet at the very last second and then thinking it hurt a little bit.

"I dropped to my knees and thought it had just grazed my face.

"When I first touched it I thought it was just swollen before I realised it was the weight and it was now stuck in my face.

"Even though there was a bit of blood it didn't actually hurt that much. It hurt more when I was given the local anaesthetic later in hospital.

"I packed up my fishing gear and the bailiff at the lake called an ambulance.

"I'm very lucky. It could have killed me. Had it gone through my mouth it would have probably gone straight through and out the back of my head.

"I'd advise other people who get their line snagged to just cut it off rather than do what I did. I was incredibly fortunate."