IN PICTURES: Diver's discoveries at the depths of a Black Country reservoir

But while the divers from Dudley Dolphin Sub-Aqua Club were taken aback to find a toilet sitting at the bottom of Lodge Farm Reservoir in Netherton, it was a greater shock when two safes were discovered.

The find has led to suspicions the safes were dumped by thieves and the police will be informed.

One of the safes had broken up under the water while the other was found with its door open, its previous contents perhaps taken.

A kettle and various other homewares were also found - and in fact it appeared everything but the kitchen sink had been tossed into the water at some point.

A gun spotted on the reservoir floor turned out to be a toy, while the years under the water had certainly taken their toll on a Barbie doll long past her best.

Skateboards and traffic cones were also added to the pile of waste plucked from the reservoir during the underwater litter pick.

Divers filled a sack with old beer cans, tins and other rubbish, while pipes, metal and wood that had been discarded into the water over the years.

Dudley Dolphin's welfare officer, Mandy Downing, aged 48, came up with the idea of the litter pick as a way of improving the environment for the wildlife that lives in and around the reservoir as well as the water skiers, sailors, anglers that use the water.

She said: "The two safes we found are really interesting. They have obviously been in the water a long time and one is broken up. The other is so heavy we need to go back and raise it with lifting bags. But we did manage to get the door off it and bring that up.

"As a club we will be informing West Midlands Police of those finds.

"The rest of the waste we collected was just amazing. Of course we found hundreds of tins and plastic bottles - but a toilet? Who would throw a whole toilet into the water? "And I also found the volume of old clothes we recovered quite strange."

The mountain of waste was all recovered from the reservoir's shallower areas, with divers yet to swim to the bottom of the deepest part at the centre.

Mandy said: "We only really managed to clean up trash from quite close in, in what is quite shallow water. We haven't been out to the centre of the reservoir yet. But the amount of rubbish we collected was just amazing.

"There were so many socks found, perhaps that's where all the missing socks from people's laundry baskets have ended up.

"It was certainly a worthwhile exercise and we intend to carry on and clean up much more of the reservoir as a club project now we have made a start."

Dudley Dolphin Sub-Aqua Club's diving officer, Derek Cave, an electrical engineer and health and safety officer, said: "The amount of waste we have brought to the surface has been remarkable.

"We have found no fewer than four complete shopping trolleys, a push chair, golf clubs and two skateboards as well as hundreds of other items.

"The idea is to improve the environment for the wildlife that lives in and around the reservoir as well as all the people that use the water for leisure activities. There are a lot of eels, perch, pike and other fish living in the water and it will be far healthier for all the wildlife if we can clean up their natural habitat. We will be asking the council for help in the recycling and disposal of the waste we have recovered."