WE welcome Darlington Borough Council's decision to ban the sale of replica guns and fireworks at the outdoor market.

In fact, we feel these "toy" guns should never have been manufactured in the first place and they should have been banned a long time ago.

Too many of these guns have been getting into the wrong hands and being used by criminals brandishing them as the real thing.

And we were also concerned that youngsters could so easily get hold of them.

Darlington Council's cabinet decision last night came just days after The Northern Echo was able to buy a pellet gun similar to an AR-M4SF assault rifle.

We bought the lethal weapon for £20 at a similar market in Stanley, County Durham.

But we are pleased to report that, after our story, Derwentside District Council is to write to its external contractor asking if they intend to do anything about the rifle sales.

Let's hope that outdoor markets across the country follow Darlington's lead and stop selling these guns once and for all.

We are certain that, in these times of heightened security, anyone walking down the street carrying one of these realistic weapons is a real danger to the public - and to themselves.

These "toys" look so real how can policemen tell if they are fake?

There's every likelihood that anyone carrying these guns would be challenged by an armed response unit - and we all know that would be a dreadful dilemma facing the armed officers.

One can imagine the outcry if someone was shot by police who believed the man in front of them was holding a deadly weapon.

We are also pleased to hear that the council's new rules also include a ban on the sale of lethal ornamental weapons, fireworks or anything else that officers consider to be a risk to public safety.