Fisher shocked to be told object he 'whacked with hammer' is WW1 artillery shell

A magnet fisher was shocked to discover an object he had been 'whacking with a hammer' was actually a - WW1 artillery shell.

Raymond Berry, 53, was fishing in the river Medway in Maidstone, Kent, with a friend when he pulled up a peculiar, 10-inch-long shape from the water.

The 53-year-old, who lives in Bexhill near Hastings, explained that as it was so muddy, he began hitting the shell with a hammer - completely unaware that it could explode.

After asking friends on social media who told him it was likely to be a WWI bomb, he and his friend had to wait two hours for police to arrive.

The shell was later removed by a bomb disposal unit.

Mr Berry, who runs the YouTube channel Adventures In Finding Stuff, had travelled to Maidstone last Sunday (13/04).

On his channel, social housing worker Mr Berry also mudlarks - which he learned to do on the River Thames whilst growing up in London.

The pair took up position underneath the A229 bridge near the Travelodge hotel in the Maidstone and dropped their magnets into the water, oblivious as to what they would pull up.

While he had previously found guns, knives, and plenty of coins, the WW1 shell was the first explosive Mr Berry had ever uncovered.