Enderby litter pickers call police after gun find scare

Group member Sue Wareham said the pellet gun looked like a handgun

A group of litter pickers were shocked to find what they thought was a real handgun while clearing a country lane.

The South Leicestershire Litter Wombles said they spotted the weapon "hiding in the undergrowth" in Beggars Lane, Enderby, on Tuesday.

Group member Sue Wareham took the "very heavy" gun home where it was collected by police officers.

Leicestershire Police confirmed officers had inspected the item and found it to be a pellet gun.

Ms Wareham said the group was used to finding items like knives and syringes but this was the first time they had found something that looked like a handgun.

"It was under some ivy that had grown over and round it so potentially it had been there for a while," she said.

The litter picking group said they were used to finding unusual items

Ms Wareham said she took the the item home and called police on Tuesday afternoon.

She said after asking an officer if the gun was real, she was told "that doesn't matter".

"It wasn't a yes, it wasn't a no - it was taken away so quickly and put away I thought if it's a fake they'd have said," she said.

"I'd have had it down as a real gun."

In addition to the pellet gun, the group collected 32 bags of rubbish from the verge, including bottles, cans and sandbags.