A RECORD number of firearms and ammunition were handed to Gwent Police as part of a firearms surrender which ended on Sunday.

A spokeswoman for the force said that, in the first surrender since 2014, a record number of firearms and ammunition were surrendered in Gwent, with 109 items handed in.

She said 41 lots of ammunition, including 450 shotgun cartridges and over 150 x 9mm pistol rounds, and 41 lethal firearms were surrendered.

"These included 18 shotguns, 14 pistols, five rifles and four revolvers," she continued. "17 air weapons were surrendered - eight rifles, eight pistols and a gas gun.

"Two BB Guns, three starting pistols and a replica 8mm pistol were also handed in."

The spokeswoman said four, realistic looking toy guns were also surrendered.

Abergavenny had most surrenders with 26, followed by Blackwood with 18 and Cwmbran with 16, she added.

"Weapons were surrendered from as far away as Gloucestershire," the spokeswoman continued.

Superintendent Glyn Fernquest said they had a "fantastic" response this year.

He said: "As result there are 41 less firearms out there with the potential to end up in the wrong hands.

“We had both interesting and dangerous items handed in. A MG42 machine gun used in World War 2 was a certainly surprise however it poses much less risk than some of the other items handed in.

"For example, the easily concealed Smith and Wesson 9mm pistol, which has been illegal in the UK for more than 20 years, and the 150 rounds of accompanying ammunition that someone found in their shed."

The spokeswoman said that, during the surrender, members of the public were urged to surrender any unwanted/unused/unlicensed firearms at a designated number of stations throughout Gwent.

At the point of surrender, the owners did not face prosecution for the illegal possession.

The spokeswoman said: "Surrendered firearms will now under go forensic testing by specialist officers in order to determine whether they firearms had previously been used in criminality."

If you know of anyone involved with illegal firearms call police on 101 or independent charity Crimestoppers (anonymously) on 0800 555 111. If you are a licensed firearm holder who wants advice please contact the Gwent Police Firearms Licencing Team. More details can be found on gwentpolice.co.uk