The father and son who died in the canal at Cooper Bridge have been named on Facebook as Martin and Jack Andrews of Pudsey.
The 43-year-old and his 19-year-old son had been ‘magnet’ fishing – the new hobby taking the UK and US by storm – using a powerful magnet on a rope to attract any metallic objects lurking on the bottom of the Huddersfield Canal at Cooper Bridge Cut.
West Yorkshire Police say it’s a mystery as to how the two men ended up in the canal with Duty Inspector Carlton Young saying the precise circumstances of what happened may never be known.
The depth of the canal at that point is around five feet and locals said currents there and in the nearby River Calder can be very strong at that particular spot.
There were no life-saving inflatable rings in the area and the curved nature of the canal’s walls meant it would have been difficult to clamber out as there is little to cling onto and a sizeable climb from the water to the bank.
On Facebook shocked readers posted their condolences saying how tragic the accident was with the woman who reported the incident to police saying their deaths were made all the more poignant by occurring on Fathers Day.
Andrea Lawford wrote; “Sending my condolences to the family and friends xxx.”
