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Bomb squad called to park after over 1,000 ‘railway track explosives’ found
The devices were later identified as old Track Explosives
More than 1,000 ‘railway track explosives’ were discovered by unsuspecting magnet fishers at a park in Failsworth over the weekend.
On Sunday evening, the Greater Manchester Police bomb squad and emergency service rushed out to Daisy Nook Country Park after the devices were found underwater at Sammy’s Basin.
Sophie Doyle, who runs the Magnetic Pull Facebook page, was one of the magnet fishers who discovered the perilous items, telling Proper Manchester that she and her friends Stephen Nelson and James McBride came across the devices while fishing at Sammy’s Basin.
Sophie and the team clean up waterways all across the UK in a bid to sustain wildlife and to maintain the waterways for everyone who uses them, so they are no strangers to finding unusual items in unlikely places.
Magnetic Pull / Sophie Doyle
Recalling her most recent find, Sophie said that ‘huge quantities’ of the devices – later identified as Track Explosives – were being pulled out on each cast, eventually adding up to over 1000. It is not yet known how old the explosives are and how long they had been in the basin.
She explained: “These devices are used as a warning signal to alert the Train Driver behind that there is a hazard.
“After discovering the devices we submerged them into numerous buckets of water, as you would with any Military Ordnance, which I have found in the past.”
For those who are a bit rusty on their railway knowledge, the British Railway Rule Book states that Track Explosives or detonators are used in emergency situations to protect a line on which there is a hazard.
They are usually secured to train lines with two straps and, when the wheel of the train passes over, they explode and emit a loud bang.
Officers reportedly spent hours at the scene with a cordon in place to protect the public before taking the items away to be checked over by the bomb disposal team.
A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Police said, as per ITV News: “Officers and the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit (EOD) were in attendance alongside Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service.
“A 50-metre cordon was in place as a precaution. All devices were removed and the area open again at 9pm.Devices were taken away by the EOD for testing.”
To see more interesting finds, follow Magnetic Pull on their Facebook page.