A HOARD of potential weapons handed into police during a two-week knife amnesty in Sudbury have been destroyed by a local firm.

A HOARD of potential weapons handed into police during a two-week knife amnesty in Sudbury have been destroyed by a local firm.

The 195 knives, including dangerous objects such as a ninja death star and two samurai swords, will be put to good use after being shredded at a recycling plant.

Sackers Recycling in Great Blakenham offered to crush the blades into scrap metal after reading in the EADT about the massive response to the recent two-week amnesty in Sudbury.

The amnesty was launched following fears sparked by the murder of 23-year-old Lewis Watson in a knife attack in the town last September and two other serious crimes involving blades.

David Dodds, joint managing director of Sackers Recycling, said: “I am very pleased to be able to offer this service to Suffolk Constabulary free of charge. From the negative we can make a positive - by recycling the components of the knives they become useful and can be used again.”

Barry Simpson, acting sergeant of the Sudbury and Great Cornard Safer Neighbourhood Team, said: “It was very pleasing to have so many knives taken out of circulation in Sudbury and Great Cornard, so it's even better that by returning the knives to their raw materials and recycling them, they could be used for something more productive in the future.”

The campaign, run in partnership by Suffolk Constabulary and Babergh District Council, was aimed at educating people about the consequences of carrying knives and had a number of different strands, including school visits, community engagement, working with licensees to ensure knives are not taken into licensed premises, and a knife amnesty.