A group of magnet fishers have hooked a dead body from a town centre river.
Members of the Yorkshire Magneteers club turned up the male corpse from the River Don, in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, on Sunday morning.
After making the grisly find, the group, which has permission to fish metal out of Britain's watercourses, contacted police who took over recovery of the unidentified man.
Yorkshire Magneteers spokesperson Kerry Carter, 35, said that a small group of three were magnet fishing in the Don, close to the Rotherham United football ground.
They were in a smaller group than usual due to Covid restrictions.
"There would normally be children in the group, but thankfully on this occasion, no children were present," said Kerry, who formed Yorkshire Magneteers around 18 months ago.
Magnet fishers use high powered magnets to pull iron objects from rivers, canals and lakes.
Yorkshire Magneteers have dragged machine guns, cars, pistols, hand grenades, knives, and bikes, among other more mundane finds, from the water.
"We have pulled some unusual things out of the water, but this is the first time we've had a dead body," said Kerry.
"The body had been in the water for some time and was clothed in a tracksuit. Poor bloke."
This morning's group was being led by former soldier Robbie Sampler, who suffers from PTSD.
"They thought it was a rucksack in the water at first then the magnet has turned over the body and they realised what it was and called the police immediately," said Kerry.
"It has been a massive shock for them all, and I was particularly concerned for Robbie and his PTSD.
"He is a bit shook up but they have gone to McDonald's for a cup of tea and to calm down.
"I think they are thankful that they have found the poor guy and have been able to give him some respect in death."
Magnet fishing is increasing in popularity, with thousands uploading videos of their finds on YouTube.
But it is not without it’s dangers.
A father and son died while magnet fishing in 2018, prompting a warning from the coroner about the "inherent dangers" of the pastime.
Martin Andrews, 43, and Jack, 19, were using a very strong magnet on a rope to "catch" pieces of metal in the Huddersfield Canal.
Their inquest heard their bodies were found "vertically submerged" and their deaths declared as misadventure.
