HYTHE, England -- A fisherman who caught an object weighing 500lb (227kg) off the coast of Kent decided that he had better take the coastguards’ advice on his catch.

After sending them a picture via his mobile phone, he learnt that it was a Second World War bomb, so lowered it back into the water before bomb disposal experts arrived to detonate the device.

Witnesses said that the explosion sent a spout of water shooting skywards. A dolphin that swims in the area was unhurt.