Zombie knives and machetes left in police bin

Zombie knives, machetes and antique daggers were among hundreds of blades recovered from a police bin.

They were disposed of in a knife bin outside Harlow police station in Essex, which was last emptied in November.

Essex Police is due to clear all 15 of its bins across the county to coincide with Sceptre week, which focuses on tackling knife crime and serious violence.

Ch Insp Emily Holmes, district commander for Harlow, said: "I feel really confident that these knives are now in safe detention and they're going to be disposed of in the right way."

Staff used a shovel to remove the weapons from the metal bin and placed them into plastic containers.

They were then loaded into a van and driven to a secure location for destruction.

Holmes said: "I feel really reassured to know the knife bin is being used and it's being used for the right things.

"We haven't opened it and found loads of rubbish, we've opened it and found knives - which is exactly what it's there for."

Also among the haul of blades were a Rambo-style knife, scissors and a meat cleaver.

According to Essex Police, there was a 35% reduction in knife crime in Harlow in the past year.

Acting Det Insp Karen Osborne, of the serious violence unit, said the bins offered a safe and anonymous way for people to surrender blades.

"We've gone from your basic kitchen knives right up to your machetes and swords in that bin, which is great to see that they're not on the streets anymore," she added.

When the force's bins were last emptied in November, 1.3 tonnes (1,300kg) of items were recovered, equating to about 6,000 knives.

Essex Police said it was expecting thousands more to be taken off the streets in its latest drive on Tuesday.

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