A man has been jailed for two years after a stolen shotgun and ammunition were found stashed beneath a wheelie bin.

Detectives used DNA found on the Beretta 20 bore firearm to link it to 26-year-old William Cosier, of Well Lane, near Canterbury.

A police probe discovered the shotgun – which was found in Dagenham - was one of two stolen from a car in Ashford on Boxing Day, 2014.

The owner, who possessed a firearms certificate, was attending an organised shoot at the time and had parked his car in the field where he was shooting.

He returned to find his car had been broken into and the guns were gone.

Following the DNA match, Cosier was arrested by police on September 1 last year, but refused to answer any questions in interview.

He was charged with illegally possessing a firearm and was yesterday jailed for two years following his conviction by a jury at Wood Green Crown Court in north London.

DS Jim Barry, of the Trident and Area Crime Command, led the investigation.

He said: “What William Cosier's exact role in how this firearm came to be stolen from a locked car in Kent and end up concealed under a wheelie bin in Dagenham has not been established.

"However, what is abundantly clear from DNA evidence is that Cosier came into contact with this firearm at some point in the interim period.

"While there is no evidence the shotgun was used in crime, it is clear by the fact that it was found concealed, and with ammunition, that the intent was there."

Cosier's conviction comes as the Met launched a week-long firearms surrender campaign called #giveupyourgun.