Fears fisherman has walked off with five hand grenades

A fisherman believed to have walked off with five unexploded hand grenades is being urged to hand them in urgently.

The ‘volatile’ weapons were discovered near a canal in Hopwood, Birmingham.

Two of the grenades were safely detonated, but a man in his 50s with grey hair is thought to have left with the rest of them.

The man, who was wearing green trousers, is thought to have found the weaponry which witnesses say he found while magnet fishing.

Members of the public have been warned to keep their distance if they spot the bombs and call 999 immediately.

Pictures of the two recovered grenades show how the weapons can easily be concealed and go unnoticed if discarded in undergrowth.

The grenades were discovered at around 6pm on Friday June 20.

A search to locate the remaining unexploded ordnances continued into Saturday June 21.

Inspector Richard Field said: ‘I can reassure that person they’re not in any trouble with police.

‘My primary objective is to recover the hand grenades and to make them safe.’

A spokesperson for West Mercia Police said: ‘We continue to urge the man that found the grenades to contact us so that they can be safely recovered.

‘He may not be aware of the significant safety risk they pose.’

Thousands of unexploded ordnances or UXOs are discovered every year, including washed up on beaches, in gardens, on construction sites and in bodies of water.

Weapons contain compounds that become more sensitive as they age, according to risk mitigation company 1st Line Defence.

They also pose environmental risks if left untouched for a significant length of time, such as ground contamination.

Members of the public who encounter UXOs should not touch or disturb them but call police.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.