TWO rookie magnet fishermen got the shock of their lives this weekend when they realised that among their pile of loot was an unexploded World War Two shell.

Andrew McWhinnie, 38, from Old Town, was on his first outing to the canal at the bottom of Kingshill on Monday when he came across an unidentified metallic object covered in mud and all manner of other growth.

None the wiser about what it was, he took it to a friend's house in Clifton Street where it stayed for the rest of the week. It was left to soak in vinegar and Nick Bell, in whose house it was being stored, even took a chisel to its encrusted outer shell.

It was only late on Saturday evening, as the distinctive shape and markings began to reveal themselves, that the pair realised what they had discovered.

"We couldn't quite believe it," said Nick, 59. "We thought it couldn't be a bomb. And even if it was, what are you supposed to do with it?

"Are you really going to call up on a Saturday night and say you think you've got a bomb - they wouldn't believe you.

"We thought about taking it to the TA but you can hardly walk through town with a bomb in your bag."

Nick and Andrew waited until Sunday morning before realising something had to be done. The emergency services were called and quickly responded to Clifton Street.

"Nick phoned 999 and they asked which service he wanted," said Andrew. "He said all of them."

Police officers, firefighters, and a specialist bomb disposal team from the Royal Logistics Corps based at Tidworth descended on the quiet residential area, much to the surprise of neighbours.

The team entered the house and carried out an x-ray of the shell.

While it was verified as being genuine World War Two era ordinance, they were satisfied that it didn't pose a risk to the public.

It was removed from the house and will be taken away for safe disposal.

Without further investigation it isn't possible to determine exactly what the shell was once used for, but the RLC team said they believed it was an 8lb armour piercing solid shot round.

"They said we couldn't keep it," said a disappointed Andrew. "In case we sell it or pass it on and it ends up in someone else's house and they get another call out."

Despite the shock of discovering he was the unexpected custodian of an explosive shell, Andrew says he has not been deterred from pursuing his new hobby. If anything he is now more excited to see what he will find next.

He joked: "Who knows, next time I might find the rest of the gun."