A GRENADE was among weapons handed in during a firearms and ammunition amnesty in Oxfordshire.

Thames Valley Police said 255 firearms were handed in across the force’s area, including 85 which were left at police stations in Abingdon, Banbury and Oxford.

Officers also received 127 lots of ammunition.

The amnesty ran from November 24 to December 7 and gave people the chance to surrender firearms and ammunition without the fear of being prosecuted for having them without a licence.

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A pre-war training grenade was handed in at Abingdon police station and was dealt with by trained bomb disposal officers.

Police said weapons handed in will be forensically examined and information may be sent to National Ballistics Intelligence Service.

Chief Inspector Lindsay James said: “We have been extremely pleased with the number of firearms and ammunition handed in and consider the surrender to have been a great success.

“I would like to thank the public for the excellent response.

“Every weapon handed in is now one less that could have ended up in the wrong hands, making the Thames Valley a safer place to live.”

Police spokeswoman Francine Rodrigues said the force could not speculate on why so many weapons had been turned in.

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