Teenager finds stolen safe containing £1,400 in river and gives it back to owner

A teenage magnet fisher pulled a safe containing more than £1,000 from a river and then gave it back to its owner who had it stolen 22 years ago.

George Tindale, 15, had been scouring the River Witham in Grantham, Lincolnshire, with his dad Kevin, 52, when he made the incredible discovery.

The father and son recovered the old safe and were left stunned when among the mud and slime was a pouch containing 2,500 Australian dollars (£1,400).

Unbeknown to them, the safe had been stolen from businessman Rob Everett back in 2000 during a burglary at his office.

Also inside was a shotgun certificate and bank cards which expired in 2004, giving George and Kevin enough information to track down the rightful owner.

Watch: Schoolboy recovers weapons through magnet fishing

After contacting Rob to explain the find, the family visited him at his business in Grantham to return the stolen property on 16 April.

George, of Newark, Nottinghamshire, said: “I mean it was amazing really. We pulled this safe out and it had all that money in.”

Rob said the safe was stolen from a previous office by a teenager, who was caught after he found a cap the burglar had left behind with their name stitched into it.

He added: "Some people are just wonderful. They’ve gone to all that trouble. I gave a small reward to George."

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Rob, who runs Winkworth and the Money Options Group, has offered George work experience.

He said: “I’d love him to work for us. He’s only 15 but give him a bit more time and I’d be happy to give him an opportunity.”

Mum Denise added: "We’re doing a follow up video because we’ve got people hanging off the edges of their seats if you read through the comments."

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George regularly magnet fishes with dad Kevin and records his findings on his Youtube channel 'Magnetic G', attracting millions of views.

He started magnet fishing three years ago, and his work also highlights river pollution and the harm it can have on wildlife.

In 2019, George uncovered two unexploded grenades, two military officers' handguns, two pistols, a Pinfire Revolver 1880, and a machete.

The cache of weapons were handed in to police after being pulled from the River Soar in Leicester - and even led to the bomb squad being called out.