When YouTuber and magnet fisher Gareth Bryer came to Aylesford to explore to the River Medway, he never expected to find a gun.

Upon closer inspection, Gareth was convinced the antique pistol he fished out could have been straight out of a spaghetti western film.

The old firearm was a lucrative find on its own, but he pulled out other weaponry including an old axehead and a knife weighed down by a rusty nail.

Gareth, who travelled down from Oldham, said: “I couldn’t confirm the age of this gun and whether it was legal to have, so I’ve handed it to the police.

“I’ve been magnet fishing since January after seeing a video of the rugby player James Haskell doing it.

"I used to be a keen fisherman but kept losing tackle due to snags in the water, so I started removing junk from the canals and rivers.

“I’ve found four guns in total - the one in Aylesford, a sub-machine gun in Enfield, London, another antique gun in Bishop Stortford and a handgun in Preston.

"I am always shocked at finding guns but it also makes removing rubbish more exciting.”

On a brighter note, other items of historical interest which Gareth is free to keep include a public payphone coinbox and an old industrial gear.

Magnet fishing is seen by its enthusiasts as an environmentally friendly version of treasure hunting.

The magnets are used to remove large pieces of metal debris which are lying in the water.

In August, bomb disposal experts were called to Fairmeadow in Maidstone after Anton Eiffert and his partner Karen Hollands fished a Second World War bomb out of the River Medway.

A spokesman for the Environment Agency, responsible for the non-tidal section of the river, said: “Previously we have recovered a .22 pistol and some live ammunition but nothing unusual recently.

"These were found when parts of the river were drained for maintenance.”