A NEO-Nazi from Birkenhead who planned to blow up mosques across Merseyside has been convicted of a terror offence.

Ian Charles Forman, of Shavington Avenue, Oxton, was convicted of engaging in conduct in preparation of terrorist acts contrary to the Terrorism Act 2006 after an 11-day trial at Kingston Crown Court.

The 42-year-old first came to the attention of police in April 2013 while he worked as a receptionist at Manisty (Recresco Ltd), a glass recycling firm in Ellesmere Port.

Colleagues found that he had been researching chemicals and explosive substances on the internet during work hours - a clear breach of company policy.

He was called in for internal disciplinary meetings, during which he claimed his research was for his hobby of making home-made fireworks.

Unconvinced by his answers, the company called Merseyside Police and his house was searched.

Inside they found chemicals including potassium nitrate, sulphur and charcoal, a crude home-made improvised explosive device and a replica Nazi uniform.

Forman was arrested and interviewed by officers from the North West Counter-Terrorism Unit and admitted having extreme right wing views in his youth but claimed he no longer thought like that.

Officers had also seized a number of computers and other devices and later found more incriminating material.

This included internet research into a number of Merseyside mosques, video clips showing Forman experimenting with explosives and an anti-Islam video created by Forman himself.

Forman will be sentenced in the week commencing April 28.