GUNS and knives are among items still being handed into Merseyside Police during Operation Target.

Launched on July 1, the force-wide campaign works to disrupt serious and violent crime on the streets of Merseyside.

As part of Op Target, officers had asked the public to hand over any unlawfully held or unwanted guns and ammunition to stop them from getting into the hands of criminals.

After the amnesty, several people including antique dealers, got in touch with the force to collect weapons in a bid to make sure they were disposed of safely.

Chief inspector Matthew Moscrop said: “We were contacted by a member of the public to recover a number of knives for safe disposal.

"The woman said she had considered putting the knives in her wheelie bin – which is something we do not recommend – and we are so pleased she contacted us.

"We would like to say to anyone who knows where there are any knives or firearms to contact us so that we can dispose of them safely.

“We would also like to appeal to anyone dealing in antiques to come forward with any knives or firearms as we have also recently been contacted by an antiques dealer to recover firearms and knives. We can dispose of them for you, safely.

"We know issues such as knife and gun crime really impact on our communities and we are committed to tackling these issues head on and really making a difference.

"The more weapons we take off the streets of Merseyside the better as this means they cannot fall into the hands of criminals.

"We want the community to help us as we continue to tackle serious and violent crime on the streets of Merseyside, so please talk to us or contact Crimestoppers anonymously.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact Merseyside Police via social media @MerPolCC, call 101 or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.