A father and son duo have made a spine-chilling discovery of lethal weapons lurking beneath the waters of Scotland's rivers and canals.
Mark McGeachin, 42, along with his nine-year-old son James, have fished out an alarming array of weapons including machetes, meat cleavers, axes, and even a razor-sharp Japanese samurai sword during their magnet-fishing adventures. Mark, who founded the Glasgow Magnet Fishing group which proudly bears the motto 'Dookin' for Chibs an Shooters', sees the unusual hobby as a way of teaching his boy about the dangers of gang culture and knife crime.
Recounting one of their early expeditions, Mark said: "I started Glasgow Magnet Fishing group in 2019 and James was only six at the time. Soon after, we were searching the Union Canal near Sighthill in Edinburgh when James pulled this massive samurai sword out the water."
The proud dad explained how these excursions are more than just treasure hunts: "He was delighted when he got to stand and take the picture with his catch and he's been hooked ever since - but the truth is - I take him on these trips to educate him and to get him away from the computer."
With the stark reality of growing up in Glasgow, Mark is determined to instil a strong message in his son: "I never know what he is going to face as he's growing up in Glasgow. So when he sees these blades I want him to understand that he should never carry a knife and that he should never try to be a hero if someone pulls one on him.", reports the Daily Record.
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The group magnet fishing on the Clyde (Supplied)
Mark McGeachin shows off the haul of deadly weapons pulled from the canal (Supplied)His advice to James in such dangerous situations is unequivocal: "I've told him that if that ever happens, he should just run." Moreover, Mark revealed that their magnet-fishing exploits often reveal grim evidence of Glasgow's gang-related issues, especially following a significant find during a recent outing in the city.
"People message us and tip us off quite a lot. Earlier this month, a guy I know, a bit of a local scallywag, messaged me saying notorious criminals in the Milton and Possilpark areas throw stuff in that part of the canal. We went down the following weekend and found eight knifes in total in one day. There was a massive machete, a few smaller machetes, some other blades and a meat cleaver."
Mark, who said the group finds around 100 weapons each year, reports most of them to the police over fears they could have been used to commit bloody crimes. He added: "We've already handed seven guns into the police since the beginning of 2024. When we find them we phone 999 straight away. One time, in Maryhill, we contacted police after I found a machete, a ski mask and a pair of gloves all tied up in a bag and Cellotaped together."
The Glasgow Magnet Fishing group slogan (Supplied)"The mind does boggle, thinking about what has happened with these these weapons before they were found. This stuff could potentially solve a murder and help a family get some closure. That's the way I see it. But the cops are less interested in the knives we find. They do put them into the evidence pile, but they told me it's very difficult for them to link them to crimes and then they've got to incinerate them. This takes up a lot of their time so now I just make sure we scrap them after we've found them."
The group, who have found an abundance of grenades and bombs while traversing the UK region, is now eager to delve into Scotland's rich history. Mark declared: "In the next few months we are starting to look at different kinds of trips. We are going to look for Rob Roy's sword and check out the wreckage of a pirate ship. I'd love to find a proper part of history."
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