TWO men who brought a housing estate to a standstill when police raided their home and discovered a huge haul of weapons have a history of stashing armoury, The Northern Echo can reveal.

Raymond Fothergill, 66, and John Lambert, 54, yesterday admitted manufacturing and possessing weapons, ammunition and explosives at their Darlington home. They each face up to 14 years in prison.

But last night, the reason why they had assembled the horrifying arsenal remained a mystery.

When officers swooped on 3 Kexwith Moor Close on September 24 last year, residents in neighbouring streets on the Firthmoor estate were evacuated to ensure their safety.

The men, who are not believed to have any military background or links to "criminal or subversive" organisations, had lived quietly among the community for a couple of years.

Neighbours had no inkling of what was going on in the semi-detached house.

Yesterday's case, at Teesside Crown Court, came 30 years after the pair faced charges of possession of explosives, firearms and ammunition at Birmingham Crown Court.

Fothergill was given a three-year probation order and Lambert was jailed for 12 months in 1972.

Lambert had earlier been jailed for 15 months - in 1969 - at Durham Assizes, for unlawful wounding after he shot someone with a .22 pistol. An attempted murder charge had been withdrawn.

Last night, Detective Sergeant Alec Francis, who led the Darlington operation, said he had never, in 30 years, come across anything like the scene officers found in the house.

As well as nine Sten submachine guns, plus rifles and pistols, police found explosive chemicals.

Fulminate of mercury was discovered in an unstable state, while dinitro benzine (DNT) - the second phase of the three-stage process for making the explosive TNT - was also found.

Professional weapon manufacturing parts and equipment were discovered, with almost every room of the home used. Many items had been bought through mail order firms across Britain.

A search of a lock-up used by Fothergill and Lambert failed to find any other equipment, but it is understood officers found makeshift cardboard coffins containing dead kittens.

Det Sgt Francis, a former Special Branch bodyguard for the Queen, said: "We were overwhelmed with what we had found inside an average sized family dwelling."

The raid followed information received from an investigation by Derbyshire Police, and the operation, codenamed Braille, involved arms specialists from across the country, as well as about 30 officers from Darlington.

Both men pleaded guilty to charges of possessing two Enfield rifles and ammunition without firearms certificates, as well as possessing CS gas spray.

Lambert admitted two counts of making an explosive substance, while Fothergill pleaded guilty to two counts of having explosive substances.

Lambert also pleaded guilty to charges of manufacturing two Sten guns and one single shot pistol. Fothergill admitted possessing these weapons.

Pleas of not guilty by both men on charges of conspiracy to make explosive substances, to manufacture a variety of "limited weapons" and to manufacture ammunition were accepted by the prosecution.

The case was adjourned until March 8 for reports.