A dad-of-five preparing for the collapse of society by hoarding guns and tinned food under floorboards has been jailed.

When police raided Barney Buttifint’s Dover home they unearthed an arsenal of knives, bow and arrows and 17 legally held guns housed in a secret room.

A sawn-off shotgun, illegally held pistol chamber and illicit cache of bullets were also found at the Lascelles Road property in July.

Police were convinced the 36-year-old configured his home in preparation for a sustained gun fight with officers - complete with vantage and choking points.

And so they painstakingly combed the home - plunged into darkness with a confederate flag and rugs draped in windows - for two days while searching for booby traps.

Kent Police would soon charge Buttifint for the illegal guns and bullets on the basis he was planning a shoot-out with officers - a substantial aggravating factor in the eyes of the law.

But a judge at Canterbury Crown Court earlier this month threw out the police’s allegations and found Buttifint had no plans for a siege.

Instead, the judge found Buttifint was “something of a Prepper" - part of a fringe community preparing for social disorder or natural disaster.

He described the dad as "someone who, if push came to shove, would be entirely self-sufficient”.

Buttifint, an avid hunter, did not pose a public risk but collected the weapons to trap and hunt game, Judge Mark Weekes said at the same court on Wednesday.

But he rapped the pest controller for lying about how he came across the sawn-off shotgun found hidden behind his fridge.

Buttifint argued he planned to dispose of the firearm for a friend, who he said happened upon it by chance.

But Judge Weekes ruled Buttifint wished to keep the weapon after the authorities junked his bid to legally hold a similar-sized gun.

Handing down a five-year and 10-month sentence, Judge Weekes told Buttifint: “The reason the law takes such a serious view is a firearm such as that is a very dangerous one.

“That type of weapon is frequently used by criminals, and when it is used by criminals it is a particularly dangerous weapon.”

Buttifint, a former stonemason, was arrested after police swarmed his address following a 999 call from his wife.

Earlier this month, PC Saddler told the court Buttifint’s blackened windows were designed to frustrate the efforts of firearms officers.

He argued dartboards inside Buttifint’s home were set up for siege practice, for bettering his aim with throwing knives or bows.

And he asserted vantage points were created so the police could be shot at in the downstairs hallway.

But Buttifint argued he simply enjoyed playing darts and preferred the dark.

“It never was my intention. I knew I shouldn’t have had the gun I had but I didn’t have any intention of hurting anyone - I’m not like that,” he told the judge.

He said a secret room built in his living room - housing 17 legally held weapons in gun cabinets - was to stop children and intruders finding the cache.

Buttifint argued stockpiles of timber were “to put up a shed”, while the confederate flag was “just from when I was a kid”, arguing: “I just had nothing else at the time.”

Buttifint pleaded guilty to possessing a prohibited firearm, possessing a firearm without a certificate and possessing ammunition without a certificate.

Police counted 2,300 .22 bullets whereas he could legally hold 2,000.

The judge ordered the destruction of the illegal weapons, while Buttifint’s firearms licence and certificates will be revoked, it is understood.

James Burke, mitigating, described Buttifint as an industrious man highly respected within his community.

He argued Buttifint, who appeared via videolink from HMP Elmley, was of previous good character and had held a firearms licence for 15 years.

“He’s very much looking forward to the finality of today’s proceedings in order that he can start to plan to rebuild his life,” he added.