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

Yesterday morning, PC Eddie O'Hara seized a £700 airgun used to shoot a starling in Loftus.

The police officer took the injured bird to an animal sanctuary and knocked on every door in Cliff Crescent until he found the gun.

"We have a 23-year-old man helping with our inquiries and the owner of the gun has signed a disclaimer for it," said PC O'Hara.

"People might say, 'well 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 songbirds and to fire the guns within 50 yards of a public highway.

"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 could kill somebody.

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

Last month three Teesside MPs started 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.