A CHORLEY street was cordoned off after a grenade was found by a man and woman 'magnet fishing' in a canal.

Police were called to the scene off Bagganley Lane on Saturday afternoon after the pair found the device in the Leeds and Liverpool Canal.

Residents were told to stay in their homes and a bomb disposal unit arrived later at the scene.

Matthew Kay of Bagganley Lane said: "It was a shock as we did not really know what was going on and were told to stay in the house.

"Kids were wanting to know what was going on and were out in the street.

"Chorley Council brought some sand bags to help the bomb disposal unit.

"The Army took it over to the field across the road away from any of the houses and all we heard was a loud bang from in our houses as they detonated it.

"It was lucky that it was an adult that pulled it up and not a young person.

"We get a lot of magnet fishing on the bridge and the man told us that he had heard of guns and swords being pulled up at other locations.

"People have found bikes and even motorbikes in the canal."

Mr Kay said the woman was in her 30s or 40s and was with her dad in his 60s.

It is understood the pair pulled the grenade from the canal and then called police.

A Lancashire Police spokesman said: "We received a call at 4.30pm to say that a suspicious package had been found on Bagganley Lane.

"Someone had been fishing at the bridge and they came back with a grenade that had been in the water.

"A cordon was put in place for everyone's safety and spoke to the Bomb Disposal Unit.

"They arrived at 6.50pm and it was taken to a nearby field and it was disposed off and it was all done by 7.40pm."