A member of the public has fished up a WWII-era artillery projectile from the Grand Union Canal at the weekend. The find resulted in the closure of the Braunston Tunnel while the police and Army investigated the find. Reportedly, Northamptonshire Police were told by the Army’s explosive ordnance disposal that the 16 inch long shell originated from London.
“The explosive ordnance disposal attended to deal with the unexploded bomb away from site,” said a police spokeswoman. A Ministry Of Defence spokesperson said: “We can confirm an Army team supported the police with the disposal of a legacy mortar shell in Braunston.” The MOD dated the shell to the 1940s or 1950s.
‘Magnet fishing’ seems to be becoming a more popular past-time – however, there are risks associated with it, and the possibility of encountering items of explosive ordnance in the UK’s canals and rivers cannot be discounted. UXO falling into bodies of water would rarely have been observed. Equally, it is not unheard of for ordnance to be disposed of in bodies of water.
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