A Second World War pistol has been handed into police after a Weardale woman found it while clearing out the house of her late father.
Stanhope PCSO Chris Elems and firearms enquiry officer Trevor Dawson collected the handgun from the local woman who came across the pistol in a box.
The ‘Carl Walther Waffenfabrik Zella St Blasii’ was often carried by staff officers during World War Two.
The woman said: “The handgun was handed to my father from a relative who served in the war and acquired the gun from a German soldier. I contacted the police who said they would come and collect it and take care of it.”
Armourer Mark Outhwaite, of Durham Constabulary’s firearms department, said: “As the gun is of historical relevance it will be donated to a museum or kept in our armoury.
“Every firearm handed in to police makes County Durham and Darlington safer as it prevents them from falling into the hands of criminals. I would urge anyone who is in possession of an unwanted or illegal firearm to contact their local police station. Often weapons are found in attics, garages, sheds or handed down generations within families.
“Although gun crime is low in our area, we must never forget that firearms are extremely dangerous, and can be deadly if they get into the wrong hands.”
If anyone holds an unwanted or illegally held firearm, contact police on 101.
