Four-year-old Leo Nixon, five-year-old Riley Nixon and Reece Nixon, 14, have been magnet fishing over the course of the last year with their dad William Nixon, 49, and cousin Craig Parkinson, 28.

Incredibly, the boys have each discovered a gun in the canals and rivers of Yorkshire.

Reece was magnet fishing in Rotherham when he found a WW1 vickers machine gun.

The boys have each discovered a gun under the surface of the waters in Yorkshire

The machine gun typically required a six to eight-man team to operate during the war.

Riley then found a small gun - believed to have been used in a previous crime - in Lincoln while magnet fishing during a meet up.

Finally, Leo - who has been magnet fishing with the group for just a few weeks - pulled a BB gun from the water on Sunday.

Craig told the Yorkshire Evening Post of his shock at the discoveries.

The WW1 gun has been put into a museum, the small gun has been handed into the police and the family have kept the small BB gun, Craig said.

He said: "We go magnet fishing as a family every Sunday.

"The first time Reece came out we were magnet fishing in Rotherham and Reece came across something.

"When putting his magnet back through the water, he found a ww1 vickers machine gun.

"Second time little Riley found a sours gun in Lincoln while magnet fishing upon taking part in a magnet meet up.

"Then little Leo joins the gang to find a bb gun in Sunday.

"In magnet fishing words that is all we say, a gun is a gun.

"The police have the gun Riley found after we handed it in but the vickers gun is in a museum and the gun Leo found is now in our collection as it is just a children's one."

Magnet fishing is searching in outdoor waters for objects below the surface using strong magnets.

Discarded bicycles, guns, safes, bombs, coins and car tire rims have all been discovered through the hobby.

Three Leeds brothers pull three guns from Yorkshire waters including WW1 machine gun