Knife amnesty bin in Northampton takes two knives off the street in half-an-hour

A 'surrender bin' was opened in St James this morning at 10am where weapons can be thrown away for good.

As of 10.30am, two knives have already been taken off the street.

The knife amnesty will be held throughout Northampton this week where weapons on the street can be handed in and forgotten - no questions asked.

Seven surrender bins will be posted across the town by police where weapons can be thrown away.

The drive to get weapons off the street comes as part of the nationwide Operation Sceptre to tackle knife crime, which some MPs have declared a national crisis.

More than 280 people have been stabbed to death in Britain in the past 12 months. Among them were Northampton's own Louis-Ryan Menezes, 17, and Daniel Fitzjohn, 35.

A knife amnesty is where members of the public can surrender weapons to the police without fear of being prosecuted.The seven bins will only be available for two hours at a time. They are available at:Thursday, March 14: 10am-12pm, St James, box on Abbey StreetThursday, March 14: 2-4pm, South Oval in Kings HeathFriday, March 15: 2-4pm, Victoria Park on St James Park RoadSaturday, March 16: 10am-12pm, Wellingborough Road, opposite Tesco Express garageSaturday, March 16: 2-4pm, Bath Street in Spring Boroughs, outside Northamptonshire Partnership HomesSunday, March 17: 10am-12pm, Wellingborough Road opposite Tesco Express garageSunday, March 17: 2-4pm, Bath Street in Spring Boroughs, outside Northamptonshire Partnership Homes