DOZENS of firearms – including two rifles dating back to the early 1900s - were handed in to North Wales Police following a national gun surrender campaign.

In total, 34 guns were handed in to the North Wales police force as part of the two-week national operation which took place between July 20 and August 4.

No dangerous machine guns or automatic pistols were among the firearms that were handed in to around seven designated police stations in the region, although two historic rifles were.

North Wales Police could confirm that one First World War rifle was given in, while an even earlier dated rifle from the Boer War era (1899-1902) was also submitted.

The force was also able to verify that the 34 confiscated weapons were made up of rifles, shotguns and air weapons which will now be investigated before being destroyed.

A spokesman for North Wales Police said: “Thirty-four firearms were handed in to us through the gun surrender, mostly rifles, shotguns and air weapons.

“We had one First World War rifle and one Boer War era rifle handed in as well as a number of other offensive weapons including sprays.

“They guns will now be examined to see if they were involved in any kind of incidents before being destroyed in a furnace.

“There are now 34 guns which are out of circulation in the area, and that makes North Wales a much safer place.”

The National Ballistics Intelligence Service (NABIS) is a nationwide police unit based in Birmingham that co-ordinated the surrender initiative.

NABIS works with police forces from all around the UK to help deal with offences involving the use of firearms.

A spokesman for NABIS said: “Were very pleased with the results that we’ve had come through to us so far, the campaign has been a big success.

“We had more than 9,500 items (guns and ammunition) handed in during the last surrender in November 2017 and we expect the final result this time to be a bit lower.

“However, thousands of guns have still been handed in across England and Wales this summer which is a great result that has potentially saved lives.”

Of the nearly 10,000 items that were handed in to NABIS following the last national gun surrender campaign in November 2017, none were found to be linked to any crime.

Those who surrendered an illegal firearm would not face prosecution for being in possession of the weapon, which can normally lead to a five-year prison sentence.

During the two-week initiative, firearms were handed in anonymously to police stations in Wrexham, Mold, Rhyl, Llandudno, Colwyn Bay, Caernarfon, and Holyhead.

Across the border, meanwhile, Cheshire Police were able to seize 59 firearms in total through the gun surrender campaign.