A gun club member has called for ammunition owners to be more responsible in storing bullets after builders discovered a haul tucked away in loft rafters.

Officers were called to a property in Leigh on Tuesday at about 2pm when builders discovered a box of bullets stored away in a loft.

Fortunately the builders did not touch the box and called the police, who safely took the bullets away from the scene.

Police are urging the owner of the ammunition to come forward.

Barry Dobbs, secretary and treasurer of the Southend Gun Club, based in Ark Lane, Rochford, urged gun owners to be more responsible with their ammunition to prevent people getting hurt.

He said: “If gun owners wish to surrender their firearms, they can get in touch with the firearms department of Essex Police in Chelmsford.

“Another way is to approach gun clubs. Clubs are able to store and look after ammunition. They are locked away safely in a container. When ammunition is stored, owners need to make sure cartridges and firearms are stored separately.

“Unfortunately, there are some irresponsible owners out there who leave ammunition lying around in unsafe places, where they can be easily found. And it can fall into the wrong hands.

“There are also unscrupulous sellers who sell ammunition or firearms to unlicensed owners.”

Mr Dobbs said current legislation on buying and selling ammunition need to be tougher to prevent the wrong people manipulating the system.

He said: “Right now, there are no records of people buying ammunition.

“So even if you’re buying 1,000 cartridges you just need to show your ID. Owners don’t need to record your details. It would be good to have stricter laws. We’ve been operating for 54 years and thankfully we’ve never had an incident. Safety is our first and foremost priority.”

Essex Police have been contacted to confirm the location of the incident. They were not able to respond before the paper went to print.