Father and son’s fishing journey ends in bomb squad alert after they catch a World War Two mortar shell
A father and son magnet fishing trip ended with a bang – and bomb squad alert – after they pulled a live World War Two explosive from the water.
Richard Swaffield, 49, had taken his 15-year-old son Alfie to the River Stour in Canford Magna, Dorset, to explore the waters after being gifted a fishing magnet only one week earlier for his birthday.
It was there Mr Swaffield, a property landlord, immediately recognised the device he lugged to the surface to be a Second World War mortar bomb.
A mortar bomb – or shell – is an explosive projectile fired from a mortar weapon aimed at enemy targets and was frequently used during the war.
The bomb found by Mr Swaffield is likely to be British, as the Germans did not invade England during WWII and the River Stour was used for military training.
Following the discovery, Mr Swaffield carried the bomb from the riverbank and placed it on a wooden sleeper before warning members of the public of its presence.
Dorset Police set up a 200m cordon around the area while waiting for bomb disposal experts from the Royal Logistic Corps (RLC) to arrive.
The RLC carried out a controlled explosion on the device, leaving a large crater in the ground.
Father and son Richard Swaffield (left) and Alfie (right) were magnet fishing in the River Stour when they came across the device, which was found to be a WWII mortar bomb
A mortar bomb or shell (pictured) is an explosive projectile fired from a mortar weapon aimed at enemy targets during the war
A bomb disposal team arrived at the scene (pictured) after Dorset Police cordoned off the area
A bomb disposal technician (pictured) from the Royal Logistic Corps carried out a controlled explosion on the device
Mr Swaffield said: ‘My girlfriend bought me the magnet for my birthday on Sunday and it was only the second time I had used it.
‘Alfie and I had been by the river for about half-an-hour and and pulled out a spanner, some bolts and bits of rubbish.
‘Then Alfie just said ‘there’s a bomb on there’ and I looked at it and thought ‘oh my goodness, there is.’
‘I could tell straight away that it was a mortar bomb. I pulled it off of the magnet and put it to the side and called 999.
‘The police came within 15 minutes and I had to tell people to keep back.
‘They cordoned it all off and waited for the bomb squad.’
A spokesperson for Dorset Police said: ‘At 10.57am on Thursday 19 February 2026, we received a report that a suspected ordnance had been found in the River Stour near Canford Magna.’
The controlled explosion left a large crater (pictured) on the grounds of the site
The River Stour was used for military training during WWII, meaning the bomb (pictured) is likely to be British
The bridge (pictured) crossing the River Stour where Richard and Alfie were magnet fishing
