Family find sawn-off shotgun in canal

A family have told of their shock after pulling a sawn-off shotgun out of a canal.

Scott Hargood took his wife, Mary, and three children magnet fishing to keep them occupied during the school holidays.

But little did he expect his 12-year-old son McKenzie to pull a sawn-off shotgun out of the water.

Mr Hargood said they were 'surprised' to find the weapon in the Titford Canal in Oldbury, West Midlands, on Sunday 26 August.

He said: "We were so shocked and surprised. I was in the Glenrothes Rifle and Pistol Club for a number of years, so I checked the gun was safe before passing it to the kids."

Mr Hargood then took the gun home and rang the police, who sent an armed response unit round that afternoon. Officers then inspected the gun before taking it away.

Mr Hargood added: "It was corroded and rusty and part of the trigger mechanism was missing. I found the serial number and rang the police and the armed response unit came round and took it away."

A spokesperson for West Midlands Police said: "We were called to an address in Tipton on Sunday at around 4pm by a member of the public reporting that his son had pulled a sawn-off shotgun from a canal while magnet fishing.

"The weapon, which is believed to have been under water for some time, was recovered by specialist firearms officers and will be analysed in due course.

"We would urge anyone who comes across a firearm to call police immediately on 101. Weapons should not be touched or moved as they could be loaded or in a dangerous condition."