A salvage man who had a sea-mine confiscated by the Royal Navy is thrilled – after managing to find a second one.

Joe Gray, 43, was left distraught after he was forced to give up the massive mine he found washed up on rocks and rolled back to his store.

He wanted to keep the device at his salvage yard and make it the centre-piece of his quirky collection as both a foot stool and a coffee table.

Joe's hopes of keeping it were dashed when the Royal Navy visited him a week ago to reclaim it as it was part of a training exercise.

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But he now has one back after after being notified of another potential sea-mine that was sitting on the docks of Newquay, on Saturday.

Joe, who lives near Penzance, said: "I was a bit sanguine about losing the first one, but I was like 'there's two tides a day, something's got to wash up sooner or later.'

"I have a good network of eyes and spies that keep an eye out for me all around the south west.

"Obviously due to the interest that was generated in the last one people were keeping a good eye out for another one for me, because they think I've been rather hard done by.

"This one belonged to a diver in Newquay and he pulled it ashore and had a little bit of a tussle himself with the Royal Navy about getting it back.

"He was having a clear-out and he'd moved it from his garden where it had been for all this time and into the docks in Newquay, where one of my friends saw it and immediately gave me shout.

"I turned up to pick it up and it was a lot heavier than the other one and a real toe crusher."

Joe Gray with the first sea mine at his antique shop Picture: SWNS

Joe Gray with the first sea mine at his antique shop Picture: SWNS

Joe was assured this mine was "kosher", another training dummy from after the Second World War that had already been checked out by the Navy, but was in two minds over how to announce its arrival.

He added: "We managed to bring it back to Penzance and I thought I should do something a bit more sensible with it as people don't really know what to think about a sea-mine, but instead I made a video about it which went a bit more viral."

Joe posted a video on the Facebook page for his salvage shop 'Shiver Me Timbers', that showed him apologising for his previous sea-mine escapade and promising not to do it again, but in the background you can see his van doors closing on his new find.

He added: "Finally I've got one back now and I'm allowed to keep it, but these things come in threes so I'm just waiting to see what comes around the next corner."

Joe Gray had used the first mine as a footstool and seat before it was collected Picture: SWNS

Joe Gray had used the first mine as a footstool and seat before it was collected Picture: SWNS

Joe didn't want to reveal what he paid for this new mine, but does have plans for its future.

He said: "I'm going to sit on it like a big egg for a while and see if any ideas hatch but we may possibly let my friend turn it into a wood burner for us,

"But for now it will probably sit in the yard for a couple of months and if we reopen in the summer I might just chain a hammer to it and paint 'don't' on it.

"There are hundreds of them around the country just languishing in people's gardens, and I'll have as many people want to sell me or donate to my cause.

"I'll have as many as there are going – line 'em up, cash waiting.