La-Croix-Saint-Ouen (France) (AFP)

Equipped with magnets "super-powerful", they search the rivers to exhume "scrap, bicycles or scooters", but sometimes go up a shell, a grenade. Ecological leisure, the fishing magnet is especially "illegal" remind the authorities, worried about the craze for this practice "risky" in the departments marked by the war.

Near a bridge spanning the Oise at La-Croix-Saint-Ouen (Oise), 20-year-old Owen Gressier and three other fishermen each launch their "neodymium" magnet, considered the most powerful in the world, after a rope held in hand.

After several tests, an object is detected ... A few minutes later, with the help of a grappling hook, a rusty cast iron pipe is put together - "nice catch!" This will be the only significant one of the afternoon. "We've been fishing here for a number of years, the bottom is pretty clean," says Owen.

Driven by his "passion for the Second World War" and the desire to find "historical objects", medals or military equipment, Owen "quickly realized that it was possible to clean up the waters". In 2017, he created a Facebook page, now numbering 500 subscribers, to "share photos, give advice and organize outings".

"It's crazy everything in the water!" exclaims the young man. Rusty scooters, scooters, traffic signs, microwaves: "if you go to a dozen, you can sometimes get 50 kg of scrap in a few hours!"

In the neighboring department near Péronne (Somme), Christophe Devarenne started fishing three months ago "thanks to Youtube videos", especially those of the "famous" ChrisDetek. He appreciates "not knowing what will be at the end of the magnet".

If "some expect to find treasures, there are not many," smiles however this driver of gear of 52 years. "The most interesting was a rifle of 14-18, but downright rotten after a hundred years in the water! Even the Historial of the Great War did not want," he jokes, ensuring "everything store "then" resell or give to the scrap dealers ".

- "Brave the forbidden" -

In some areas, such as the Hauts-de-France, a place of bloody battles during the two world wars, many shells, ammunition and grenades remain in the rivers.

Having sometimes not exploded, they can be "still active", worries the general direction of the civil security. Faced with the "exponential" development of leisure for nearly two years, including under the Pont des Arts in Paris, she sent this summer a note to all the prefectures, recalling its "dangerousness".

In May, Ferrière-la-Grande (North), a man was seriously injured by mustard gas escaped from a shell. Two young people also "came back at the end of July a phosphorus grenade" Hem-Monacu (Somme) and suffered "irritation" including eyes, according to the prefecture of the Somme, the first to ban August 5 this practice on its territory.

It is "in any case illegal without authorization", issued by the State in the rivers and other rivers, or by the owners on private land, recalls the prefecture of Oise.

"We were not aware of the risks ... until my son found a grenade!" remembers Hélène Ledien, inhabitant of Pernois (Somme). Arthur, 14, "regularly fish with his friend, and his magnet bought about thirty euros on Amazon, for an ecological purpose". When he found the weapon, "he happily called me, I was really scared," she says, still moved.

"We have already fished an active shell, weapons and 600 ammunition, completely rusted," admits Owen Gressier. But "we know how to react! We establish a security perimeter and warn the deminers"! "He swears, claiming to make pedagogy on his page.

"It's a passion, good for the planet, we will not stop overnight!", Adds Nicolas, 26 years old. "It's like forbidding driving because of accidents!", Judge also Jérémy Fouillat, 22, who considers Ham (Somme) to "brave the forbidden".

"People will play cat and mouse," quipped Christophe Devarenne, but "nobody is really afraid, because the gendarmes have something else to do than run after magnets".

© 2019 AFP