TWO men have been arrested after a blank firing gun was discovered in a van in Seacombe.

Officers had stopped a Ford Transit on Wheatland Lane at around 6.15pm yesterday (Wednesday, November 20) and searched the van.

A blank firing gun was discovered alongside a lock knife and friction lock baton.

The weapons and the van are currently undergoing forensic examination.

Police then searched a property in Birkenhead and discovered a second blank firing gun and ammunition - these have also now been recovered.

Wirral Globe:

(Merseyside Police)

A 41-year-old man from Moreton and a 30-year-old man from Birkenhead have been arrested on suspicion of possession of a firearm and taken to a police station for questioning.

Detective Inspector Nick Suffield said: “While these weapons are blank-firing guns, they appear to the untrained eye to be real weapons capable of causing serious injury, and they could have been used to create further fear in our communities.

“We are relentless in our pursuit of those involved in gun crime and will continue to carry out searches of suspects and vehicles in this way to make our streets safer.

"I’d urge anyone who has any information about firearms in their community to get in contact with officers so that we can take them out of circulation.”

Anyone with information on where firearms are being stored is asked to contact Merseyside Police via social media @MerPolCC, call 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or via their online form at: https://crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information/give-information