Halton residents urged to hand in firearms and ammunition as part of an amnesty

People can surrender a firearm without being prosecuted for illegally possessing the weapon.

The amnesty runs until Friday, December 5.

It is part of a national initiative which aims to reduce the number of illegal weapons across the country.

Supt Bev Rastrick said: "I urge anyone who thinks they may have an illegal weapon in their possession to take this opportunity to hand them in to the Police without the threat of prosecution.

"Members of the public can hand the weapons in at any of the Cheshire Police front desks located across the county.

"Many of the items received in previous amnesties relate to wartime weapons that people have inherited from relatives who have passed away and often people are unsure what to do with them.

"This amnesty gives people the chance to ensure these weapons don′t get into the wrong hands. All weapons that we receive will be deactivated before being destroyed."

Parents are also being urged not to buy replica guns for their teenage children this Christmas.

Ch Insp Dave Price said: "Over the last twelve months our firearms team have be called out to a number of incidents which have involved teenagers with replica guns.

"Although you may know the weapon is fake, modern replicas look more and more realistic, and anyone seeing one may think they are real.

"In a recent incident a member of the public contacted us as two young boys were firing what they described as a rifle in the street.

"As the incident involved a rifle officers from our firearms team rushed to the scene to ensure public safety.

"On arrival at the incident it was identified that two teenage boys, aged 14 and 16 had been playing with a BB gun in the area and didn′t realise the consequences.

“After speaking to the two teenagers and their parents and the gun was handed over to officers.

"Not only was the response a waste of police resources, but it also caused unnecessary distress for residents in the local community.

"The laws surrounding air weapons are clear. They can only be used by children age 14 to 17 when under supervision of an adult aged over 18."

Further details surrounding the law on guns can be found at gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/363016/Guidance_on_Firearms_Licensing_Law_v10_-_Oct_2014.pdf.

If anyone is concerned about illegal weapons in their local community is urged to contact Cheshire Police on 101, alternatively information can be reported anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.