THE families of three boys who found a sawn-off shotgun only yards from their front doors have spoken of their shock at the discovery.

Ten-year-olds Josh Renwick, John Peace and Elliott Stewart, 11, were gathering wood to build a tree-house when they came across the gun.

John, who, like Josh, attends nearby Finchale Primary School, was the first to spot the weapon.

He said: "We were all just walking through the woods and I saw a bag.

"Josh picked it up, and I carried it back to Elliott's house.

"I carried it really carefully in case it was already loaded."

Elliott, who will start St Leonard's School next month, said: "It was just near the main road, behind a log.

"It was already open. There were two black balaclavas in there and some shells wrapped in plastic.

"I knew it was a double-barrelled sawn-off shotgun, but I was really shocked."

Elliott ran to tell his mother, Treena Stewart, about the find.

She said: "I couldn't believe they had really found a gun. I thought the lads were just messing on. Then they brought it out into the street.

"We brought it into the hallway of our house and put it on the floor. We knew we shouldn't mess about with it, so we left it there until the police came."

The family were asked to leave the house while forensic investigators moved in.

"They wanted to get the gun out of the house, so asked if we could step outside," Mrs Stewart said.

"We've just got back from holiday and had our caravan in the road, so we went in there while they got on with it."

Lynn Renwick, mother of Josh, was told of the discovery by her mother, Emily Hutchinson, when she returned home for lunch.

She said: "I came back for my lunch hour at about 12.25pm and my mam came round and said the boys had found a shotgun in the woods. My first thought was, 'Oh, my goodness'."

Both mothers paid tribute to the boys' actions.

Mrs Stewart said: "We've got some good lads here. Many a boy would have taken the gun or not told their parents about it. I'm proud of them."