MORE than 120 weapons were handed over to police as part of a Merseyside firearms amnesty.

A total of 126 weapons and stockpiles of ammunition were handed in during the two-week firearms surrender, including 41 firearms.

The surrender ran across the force area from November 7 and was designed to give people in possession of illegal firearms an opportunity to hand them in.

It also extended to giving people a safe disposal route for antique, replica and decommissioned firearms which could be capable of being reactivated and used for criminal purposes.

Among the 41 firearms were 25 shotguns, one of which was sawn-off, five rifles and 11 handguns, many of which are antique or so-called 'grandad guns'.

There were also 20 lots of ammunition, amounting to 2600 rounds, not including air pellets. Twelve of the firearms are being considered for assessment by the National Ballistics Intelligence Service as part of investigations into their history and use.

Detective Chief Inspector Tom Keaton, Matrix Serious Organised Crime Major Investigation Wing, said: "We are extremely pleased with the results of the surrender and the firearms that the public have handed-in.

"Of the 41 firearms that we have received, many were antique guns, exactly the type that we were targeting, and nearly all appear to be capable of being discharged.

"Whether or not they have been held illegally in the past all of these weapons could have been fallen into the hands of criminals who would then have used them to cause fear and violence.

"Every weapon handed in is one less which could potentially be used on our streets and I would like to take this opportunity to thank the public for their excellent response to the surrender operation.

"We have also received 26 air weapons and 24 imitation or deactivated weapons. All of these can end up being used for some form of criminal or anti-social purpose and I am convinced that our communities across Merseyside are safer places following this operation.

"The surrender has run alongside the pro-active work that we do every single day to take guns and the criminals who use them off our streets.

"Merseyside Police will be relentless in its efforts to tackle all forms of serious and organised crime and bring those responsible before the courts.

"We act on every single piece of information that we receive and I would appeal to anyone with information on firearms, or where they are stored, to contact us as soon as possible."

Anyone with information can call the Matrix Serious Organised Crime hotline on 0800 230 0600 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.