AN arsenal of weapons, including rifles and grenade launchers, was found after police raided a house in a suburban street.

The operation was carried out after the Army, investigating the disappearance of military hardware from Catterick Garrison, North Yorkshire, the UK's largest base, and its subsequent sale on the internet, tipped-off Durham Police.

A 40-year-old man was arrested following the raid on the house, in Chatsworth Terrace, Darlington, on Wednesday.

Included in the haul of 16 weapons were grenade launchers, an SA 80 rifle and replica guns.

The weapons are being examined at Durham Police's armoury.

The Army remained tight-lipped about the investigation last night, only saying it was "ongoing".

The man - who police are not naming - lives alone in the house, which is near Darlington railway station.

He was arrested under the Firearms Act for possessing live ammunition, but released on police bail.

The Northern Echo contacted the man, known to be a collector of military equipment, but he declined to comment.

As well as the weapons, live ammunition, equipment, and manuals were also seized.

The weapons are thought to be either replicas or deactivated - however, parts that could "reactivate" them were also taken away.

Detective Constable Angela Makepeace, of Darlington CID, said: "The weapons are being transferred to the armoury where they will be examined in detail.

"They include grenade launchers, an SA 80 rifle, a replica sniper's rifle, as well as a wide range of component parts and a wide range of ammunition."

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: "Civilian officers went to the house at the request of the Army. The investigation is ongoing and we will not comment further at this stage."

Neighbours who saw the raid said the sight of police cars in the area was not rare.

"There were police vehicles and unmarked cars round here on Wednesday afternoon," said one resident, who did not wish to be named.

"I didn't think much of it - there are always police round here."

A spokesman for online auction site eBay said site organisers worked hard to keep stolen items off its web pages.

"Stolen items are strictly prohibited and we are committed to removing any such items as soon as we become aware of them," he said.

"We have trained thousands of police officers across the country on how best to work with eBay.co.uk and we are always keen to work in partnership with them to keep such activity, however rare, off our site."