Magnet fishing: council issue warning over safety concerns
The call comes after a grenade was pulled out of the River Avon at Chippenham by a magnet fisher on Saturday (June 6)
Wiltshire residents have been warned not to follow the latest internet trend over safety concerns.
Wiltshire Council says people trying their hand at ‘magnet fishing’ could fall into rivers or canals, or pull out metal objects that would be dangerous.
The call comes after a grenade was pulled out of the River Avon at Chippenham by a magnet fisher on Saturday (June 6).
Police cordoned off Monkton Park and the bomb squad was called to deal with the device which, after more than two hours, was declared to be a practice grenade.
And last year, a man magnet fishing with his children in the River Avon in Salisbury pulled out a Second World War Mills bomb, which had to be destroyed by bomb disposal experts.
This week, Wiltshire Council told residents: “We love seeing people out walking, picnicking, and helping keep our rivers clean.”
But it warned: “Please don’t try magnet fishing as it can be dangerous. This involves using strong magnets to retrieve metal objects from the water, which may be sharp, heavy or even hazardous and there’s a risk of being pulled in.
“Stay safe and enjoy our waterways the right way.”
Magnet fishing is a hobby where people use powerful neodymium magnets on ropes to pull ferrous metal objects out of rivers, canals, lakes or harbours, combining a clean‑up element with treasure‑hunting.
The hobby – which can be enjoyed with relatively cheap and readily available tools – has become an internet craze, with thousands of videos posted to YouTube and TikTok.
Magnet fishers have filmed themselves retrieving safes, signage, vintage machinery parts, coins, weapons such as firearms and knives, and, on occasion, unexploded ordnance like grenades or bombs.
However, the most common finds are mundane scrap metal like nails, bolts, bits of scaffolding, tools, bike parts, shopping trolleys, and other modern debris.
The Canal & River Trust, which manages much of England and Wales’ canal network including the Kennet & Avon Canal, explicitly prohibits magnet fishing on its waterways because of safety risks.
In rare cases, it has prosecuted magnet fishers using historic bylaws, citing hazards to navigation.
There are health risks from handling rusty metal, with a risk of tetanus infection if sharp metal pierces the skin.
Meanwhile, inland water can contain organisms like norovirus, Salmonella, E.coli, and Weil’s disease, which comes from rat urine and can be fatal.