An amnesty for illegally-owned guns starts today, giving people two weeks to surrender unlicensed weapons without fear of prosecution.

Anyone looking to get rid of unwanted guns will be able to hand them in at the front counter of police stations across the county.

Those who are unable to attend front counters will be able to call 101 and arrange a time for an officer to visit them to collect their weapon.

Superintendent Julia Chapman said: "We'll ask people some basic information about who they are and how they came to have the weapon, and if that weapon was found to have been used in a crime at a later date then obviously we would go back to them to discuss that further."

The two week surrender scheme runs until 11pm on Friday, November 21, part of a national attempt to reduce the number of guns on the streets.

Unwanted guns, ammunition, imitation firearms and air or gas-powered weapons can all be handed in.

Assistant Chief Constable Jo Shiner said: ‘We are keen that those people in the county who may own a firearm or ammunition but want to dispose of it safely get in touch with us.

‘It may be their gun licence has expired, it may be they have had a clear out and discovered some ammunition they no longer wish to keep, it may be they no longer have a use for a firearm – those people should get in touch and we will safely dispose of it.

"By removing firearms which are no longer wanted, it stops them from falling into the wrong hands. Any weapon handed into Kent Police is one which can no longer be used in a crime."