Suffolk magnet fisherman shocked after dredging up revolver

A magnet fisherman said he was shocked to discover he had dredged up a gun dating back to the early 1900s.

Brian Welburn, 43, found the US-made revolver at the bottom of the River Stour at Long Melford on the Essex/Suffolk border two weeks ago.

Since then he has also found rail track explosives which had to be destroyed, and part of an antique pistol.

"Magnet fishing is always exciting because you never know what you're going to find next," he said.

Magnet fishing involves trawling for metal objects in the water using powerful magnets.

Mr Welburn, who took up the hobby two years ago, thought it was an old cap gun when he first pulled the revolver out of the river, but realised it was quite heavy and took it home to clean it up.

He sent an email to Suffolk Police who sent a firearms officer to his home in Stowmarket to collect it.

"They were very happy I handed the gun in. Unfortunately they've got to destroy it because it's still possible to find ammunition rounds that fit it," added Mr Welburn, who said he uses a magnet with a "pull" of 1.8 tonnes (4,000lb).

He was told it had probably been in the river for the last few decades, with many people ditching their handguns when legislation came in banning most of them following the Dunblane massacre of 1996.

Last weekend, Mr Welburn said he "accidentally caused chaos" when he also found a BB gun and railway track explosives from the 1960s, which had to be taken away by an ordnance disposal team.

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He often fills a trailer with items he has discovered and takes it to a scrap metal dealer, where he earns £150-£200 per trailer. He estimates he has fished out between five and six tonnes of scrap metal in the last year.

"I know some people think magnet fishermen leave their finds on the river banks, which is classed as fly-tipping, but I always make sure I take it away," he said.

A spokesperson for Suffolk Police said it has seen an increase in items recovered and handed to the police due to the increase in popularity of magnet fishing.

"Our advice if a gun, ammunition or ordnance item is recovered when magnet fishing, or indeed in any situation, is to leave the item in situ, treat it with caution, where possible do not handle it and phone the police to be guided on what next steps need to be taken," they said.

"Although guns recovered from rivers may seem like they are harmless lumps of rusted metal, they could still be loaded with ammunition and lethal. Furthermore the recovered item could be linked to an ongoing investigation and be a vital piece of evidence."

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