A dog walker was left stunned after stumbling upon a suitcase containing a haul of guns and ammunition in a hedgerow off a country lane.

The shock discovery was made by a man and his pet shortly after 1pm on Saturday (February 15), near Orchard Way, Wilmington.

He said: “I was walking my dog over the fields when I saw something hanging out the ground. I thought that could be anything.”

On closer inspection it was revealed to be a small black “carry-on” type suitcase.

"I pulled it out and thought that was really heavy," he added.

Inside there were three guns: a Colt 2011 and two Glocks, and a load of ammunition, including two double-stack magazines.

"Immediately when I saw it I thought this was some seriously beefy stuff,” he added.

Police confirmed the suspected firearms discovery to KentOnline and say officers attended the scene where the items were recovered for examination.

Now detectives are trying to establish the circumstances surrounding the weapons stash.

According to the dog walker who found them, the suitcase had a "rusty" appearance and looked to have been in that location for “atleast six months”.

The guns haul is not being connected to the incident in Knockholt where a woman was shot dead on Valentine’s Day at a pub.

The pet owner who discovered the firearms haul said it came as a total shock but police were "very pleasant" and took a log of the items on arrival before recovering them.

"I have been walking over them fields for years and years and have never found anything like that," he added.

Anyone with information that may assist enquiries should call police on 01474 366149, quoting reference 15-0587.