'James Bond pistol' given up in Lancashire firearms surrender

A total of 114 guns were surrendered to Lancashire Police

A "James Bond replica pistol", an antique Colt revolver and deactivated AK-47 assault rifles have been handed in during a two-week firearms surrender, a police force has said.

Lancashire Police said 114 weapons and more than 3,000 pieces of ammunition were handed in between 12 and 29 May.

The surrender was part of Operation Aztec, a national initiative aimed at getting firearms out of circulation.

Ch Supt Richard Robertshaw said it was a "staggering" amount of weapons.

He said the total was almost three times the number surrendered in 2019, when the force received 57 firearms during a similar scheme.

Some of the guns were handed in to police stations or officers went to collect them

Some of the guns were found in lofts or unexpectedly during house renovations

A force spokesman said the weapons, which also included high-powered crossbows and air-rifles, were "mainly brought to police station front counters", though some were collected from properties by armed officers.

He said the owners of some of the items had told officers they were found in lofts or during house renovations.

Ch Supt Robertshaw said the force were "absolutely delighted with how the operation has gone".

"Whilst we are not saying those weapons have been used criminally, if they had fallen into the wrong hands they could have been used on the streets of Lancashire," he added.

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