More than 40 knives recovered as car stopped on M6

Two people were arrested after police discovered more than 40 zombie knives and other bladed weapons when a car was stopped along the M6.

Officers said they stopped a red Volkswagen Polo at 23:40 BST on 28 May at junction 17 of the motorway near Sandbach, Cheshire.

A 19-year-old man and an 18-year-old woman, both from the Birmingham area, were arrested on suspicion of possessing the weapons in a public place and possessing offensive weapons for the purpose of sale.

The man has been eliminated from inquiries, while the woman has been released on conditional bail.

Police said a search of the vehicle revealed several boxes which contained zombie style knives, knuckledusters and other bladed weapons.

In total, more than 40 dangerous blades were found in the vehicle, they said.

Ch Insp Joe McNally described it as an "alarming discovery" and said the officers who pulled over the vehicle had acted on instinct.

"The constabulary has recently just completed Operation Sceptre, a week-long national campaign that tackles knife crime in our areas through proactive policing operations and deployments and community engagement - during this week, our officers recovered over 250 weapons from across Cheshire," he said.

"As a result of this stop, a further 40 blades, a combination of zombie knives, machetes and a knuckleduster, are now safely in our possession.

"These blades will soon be destroyed, permanently preventing possibility of them being used on our streets and falling into the wrong hands."

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