A METAL detectorist has discovered another First World War grenade in a river in Dorchester whilst magnet fishing.

Police and an army bomb squad were alerted to Frome Terrace after Stephen Hill realised he had pulled out a wartime grenade out of the River Frome.

Mr Hill, 27, from Dorchester, said that he suspected the rusted over grenade was a First World War Mk1 Mills bomb and believed it was still live when he found it as it still had the pin in it.

This is not the first suspected explosive device Mr Hill, who is a member of the Facebook group, Dorset Magnet Fishing Community, has found whilst magnet fishing.

This is the third time he has found a suspected First World War Mk1 grenade, and the second time he has fished one out of the River Frome.

The last time he found a grenade in the River Frome on January 3 this year he accidentally took it home with him before he realised what it was.

On finding another grenade on Monday of thsi week, Mr Hill said: "I was magnet fishing by myself in the River Frome near the road behind Dorchester Prison when I pulled it up out of the water at around 2pm.

"I called the police straight away as soon as I realised what it was.

"When I pulled it up I thought 'oh no, not another one' - this will be the third one I have found personally, and the fourth one the group has found."

"I called the police straight away as soon as I found out what it was and when the police came I left it with them."

Mr Hill started magnet fishing a year ago as a hobby and said he often finds things like Victorian locks and old horse shoes and said the explosive devices are not something he is looking for when he goes out to the water, but added that he was glad that he was able to get them out of the way before any children or animals came across them.

He said: "You have to be responsible and call the police straight away. You can't just leave it."

A spokesman for Dorset Police said they received a report at 2.35pm on Monday, February 14, of a rusty unexploded grenade pulled from a river in Dorchester. An Explosive Ordnance Disposal team was informed and a cordon was put in place at Frome Terrace.

The spokesman said: "The EOD team attended and removed the item around 8pm. The cordon was removed."

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