A TOTAL of 71 weapons have been handed in at Farnham police station as a result of the month-long nationwide firearms amnesty which began last month.

Among the items, retrieved as part of the Surrey Police initiative to make the county's streets safe, were 23 shotguns, 19 air rifles, four rifles, 11 miniature pistols, seven handguns, a semi-automatic handgun, 17 imitation handguns, and a Gurkha army knife.

It is believed that many of the guns may have come from people who did not realise they were illegal, or have come into the possession of their present owners through the death of a relative.

This brings the total number of weapons handed in across Surrey to more than 1,000.

Prohibited firearms, including self-loading handguns, revolvers and single-shot pistols and non-prohibited firearms including rifles, shotguns, air rifles and air pistols, plus imitation firearms, have all been handed in, together with around 8,000 rounds of ammunition.

Specific weapons handed in include two deactivated machine guns, two hand held machine guns, various pistols from the wars, pocket handguns and two hand grenades.

Up to 600 knives have also been handed in during the Surrey Police knife amnesty, at the suggestion of charity Mothers against Murder and Aggression, which ran in tandem with the firearms surrender.

A wide range of knives have been deposited in special knife amnesty bins in 19 police stations across the Surrey force area, including machetes, Spanish Toledo-style knives, butterfly knives and flick knives and a set of 10 hunter knives in a special display case were also handed in.

All the weapons will be collected, evaluated by forensic experts and an antiques expert to preserve any antiques, and then destroyed.

Detective inspector Dean Hollands, of Surrey Police, said: "We are very pleased with the response from members of the public to this amnesty and we believe this will make a significant difference in keeping the streets of Surrey safe."