THE Home Secretary was accused yesterday of dragging her heels over calls for clearer gun laws, made in the wake of a New Year massacre in the North-East.

Theresa May has yet to implement any recommendations made – ten months ago – by the powerful Home Affairs committee of MPs, Labour said.

But the Home Office strongly denied it was foot-dragging, insisting new, simplified guidance to determine who could legally keep a gun would be made available to police forces in the next few months.

In January, the committee urged Mrs May to act after Michael Atherton shot and killed his partner, Sue Mc- Goldrick, her sister Alison Turnbull and her niece, Tanya Turnbull, in the village of Horden, in County Durham, on New Year’s Day.

Atherton, who then killed himself, had licences for three shotguns, plus three “section one” weapons, such as highpowered rifles and pumpaction shotguns.

It then emerged that Atherton had his weapons removed by Durham Police in 2008, after concerns were raised over alleged threats he had made to harm himself, but he later successfully applied to have the weapons returned to him.

In the light of those revelations, the committee urged the Home Secretary to set out progress on: 􀁥 Making hospitals share information with the police; 􀁥 Extending the list of people banned from owning guns; 􀁥 New guidance to police forces about the issuing of licences to people who have been arrested, or who have been suspected of domestic violence; 􀁥 A proposal for partners, and recent ex-partners, to sign licence application forms; 􀁥 New guidance about licence renewals.

The recommendations had first been made a year before the County Durham massacre, following a mass shooting in Cumbria which left 13 dead.

Yesterday, Mrs May announced tougher sentences for people who supply guns to criminals – vowing to tackle the “middle men” – but said nothing about the other recommendations.

A Home Office spokesman insisted action was coming, promising clearer guidance in the next few months, following talks with the police.

The spokesman also insisted new measures would alert GPs to the granting, or renewal, of any gun licence, although that change, last year, came before the lack-of-action allegations.

David Hanson, Labour’s policing spokesman, said: “Nearly two years on from the Home Affairs select committee report into firearms control, we are still to see any action on the ground.”