Hundreds of guns handed in to police

Two sub-machine guns were among hundreds of firearms handed in to police during a two-week amnesty.

Police say 308 unwanted or illegally-owned guns were given to officers during the campaign to stop them falling into the wrong hands.

Almost 10,000 rounds of blank and live ammunition were also surrendered.

The amnesty, which ended on Sunday, gave people the opportunity to get rid of their weapons without being arrested.

In total, 61 air rifles, 46 pistols, 49 revolvers, 73 shotguns, 32 rifles, 36 air pistols, two submachine guns, four assault rifles and five gas guns were handed over.

Weapons deemed to have historical value, like a Second World War era FP45 Liberatorf, will be sent to the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds.

Last year, 104 weapons were surrendered during a similar amnesty.

Det Ch Supt Rob Fordham said: “Our target was to provide a safe place for members of the public to dispose of any unwanted firearms. This included antiques, weapons taken from past conflicts, forgotten heirlooms handed down over the generations or unlicensed guns.

“Thanks to an excellent response from the public, we’ve achieved this aim and avoided the possibility that these firearms may have fallen into the wrong hands.”

More than 300 guns were handed into police as part of a firearms amnesty