Boys find two rifles near canal

Twin boys and their eight-year-old friend found two rifles and a bullet buried in the towpath of a canal in the Black Country.

Jack and Ben Ruby, aged 11, and Ronnie Smout found a flintlock rifle thought to be more than 100 years old. But within half an hour of turning that over to the police, they found another more modern rifle with a bullet next to it in the bag.

The friends were playing by Wyrley and Essington Canal near Bentley Lane in Short Heath, Willenhall, when they spotted what they thought was a leather jacket sticking out of the ground at around 6.30pm on Wednesday.

They pulled it up and discovered the gun inside. They told their parents, who called West Midlands Police.

The twins' father Wayne, aged 41, said: "The boys were very sensible and did the right thing." Police examined the guns and said the live bullet was not compatible with either weapon.