Keith Fletcher and Paul Stewart were fishing three miles off the Hartlepool coast when they dragged up a 7ft anchor – thought to be about 100 years old.



But for Keith, who has been fishing professionally for 35 years, the catch was just a drop in the ocean.

In his time at sea, he has netted everything from 25ft sharks and swordfish ... to a dead body.

Keith, 58, who is the skipper owner of the JJ fishing boat, named after his wife Jennie and daughter Jacqui, said: "When you get something like this you literally just stop. We were doing three knots and we just stopped.

"It came up fairly quick as we have hydraulics on board. We knew it was obviously something heavy. We normally bring bricks up. We have had a bigger anchor than this before, which was nearly twice the size about two years ago. It was a rough day so we left that one just off Middleton beach.

"It was a nice day so we brought this one in."

But Keith, who is originally from the Headland but now lives in Gala Close, Seaton Carew, revealed he had had a grim find six years ago.

"We had a body. We left it in the water and got a lifeboat to it, and carried on working.

"We've had a 14ft swordfish and a 25ft shark. We landed it into Hodgson's fishmongers. A basking shark came up that was bigger than the boat. It burst out of the net."

But despite the spectacular finds, Keith said: "We just take it as it comes."

Keith Williams, manager of Hartlepool Fish Quay, said: "A hundred years is the best estimate because of the wooden stock – the horizontal part – of the anchor. It is made of timber rather than steel.

"The anchor is in very good shape for its years."

The anchor is now at Hartlepool Fish Quay and Keith thinks it could become a permanent feature.