A POLICEMAN has issued a warning that the illegal use of high-powered airguns will not be tolerated.

PC Eddie O'Hara seized a £700 airgun which was used to shoot a starling in the eye in Loftus last Thursday.

The police officer took the badly- maimed bird to an animal sanctuary and knocked on every door on Cliff Crescent until he located the air gun.

He said: "We have a 23-year-old man helping with our enquiries and the owner of the gun has signed a disclaimer for it.

"People might say 'it was only a small bird', but the injuries were horrific. You could see the pellet in the creature's eye.

"Owners of these rifles should be aware that it is illegal to shoot song birds and to fire guns within 50 yards of a public highway.

"I was particularly interested in this because we've had a relatively airgun-free summer this year and had a good amnesty recently.

"The thing is, this is precisely the type of airgun we have a problem with. It's high-powered, bolt action and equipped with a silencer. It is the type of weapon which really could kill somebody.

"There's been a long history of air rifle use in this area and that's why myself and a colleague have made a point of clamping down on their illegal use."

Just last month three Teesside MPs handed a petition demanding that children be banned from owning airguns.

The parents of 14-year-old Eaglescliffe boy Matthew Sheffield, who was killed in a game with an airgun last year, supported the MPs' campaign.