Cambridgeshire Police have holding a week-long illegal weapons amnesty.

The weapons amnesty, part of the national Sceptre initiative, gives people the opportunity to surrender knives, knuckledusters, extendable batons, curved swords, and "zombie weapons" that are illegal to own.

The week-long scheme starts on Monday, November 11, with bins set up at Thorpe Wood Police Station in Peterborough and Parkside Police Station in Cambridge.

Cambourne Police Station will have bins on Monday from 1pm to 4pm and Sawston Police Station on Friday, November 15, from 10am to 12pm.

The amnesty does not cover guns.

The initiative comes after a government compensation scheme in September, which encouraged people to hand over "zombie-style" weapons before they were made illegal.

In addition to the amnesty, police officers, specials, and cadets will visit schools across the county, conduct extra patrols in "hotspot" areas, and target those believed to be carrying knives.

The national Sceptre initiative is part of Operation Guardian, the constabulary’s ongoing strategy to combat knife crime in the county.

Inspector Karl Secker said: “Regular amnesties such as this continue to be part of our ongoing work to combat knife crime in the county.

“I’m pleased that possession of knife offences in Cambridgeshire continue to decease, but we don’t want to get complacent.

“It’s important we continue our other work in this area, such as speaking to young people at schools about the dangers of knife crime."

In the past year, possession of weapon offences in Cambridgeshire has decreased by seven per cent.

The amnesty is a safe way to dispose of weapons, reducing the risk of prosecution.

The maximum penalty for carrying a knife is four years in prison and a £5,000 fine.

For more information on knife crime, visit the Cambridgeshire Constabulary’s website.