Magnet fisher pulls 150th trolley from river

A magnet fisher said he felt "amazing" after pulling his 150th trolley from rivers in a city centre since starting the hobby four years ago.

Lewis Bright has attracted almost 100,000 followers on Instagram, where he documents his finds from the murky depths in Chelmsford.

The 20-year-old said he had become passionate about the environment since his grandfather bought him his first kit.

He said he visited his preferred spot on the river up to five times per week and typically pulled bicycles and trolleys from the river, but had also found historical artefacts.

Chelmsford City Council has urged people not to clean up rivers themselves for safety reasons, and instead has suggested they contact the local authority.

"The amount of stuff I've found is unbelievable and because I've started this, the river is getting cleaner," said Mr Bright, speaking to BBC Essex on Wednesday.

He said he has called the authorities on occasion when he has found suspected explosive devices - including in January 2023 when Essex Police cordoned off part of Central Park as a result.

Mr Bright - who uses a strong neodymium magnet - said he wanted to double his efforts and spend up to eight hours per day cleaning up the rivers.

He said he had pulled up 128 bicycles since he started. His more peculiar finds included a Rolex watch and railway station signs.

Mr Bright said he passed his metal finds to a scrap dealer for collection.

Chelmsford City Council says any group "generously" thinking of giving up their time to keep rivers clean should "get in touch with us first so that we can ensure that this can be done safely".

The Canal & River Trust maintains some waterways across England - such as the Lee and Stort rivers on the Hertfordshire-Essex border - and it says magnet fishing is not allowed in its waters because it can be "extremely dangerous".

Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.