Shotguns, knives, bullets and 'acid' found in graveyard

Shotguns, knives and ammunition have been discovered in a graveyard in Co Londonderry.

A crowd of more than 200 people gathered in the grounds of St Marys church ahead of an event in the Altinure Road area on Saturday morning.

There was "community tensions" in the area that esclated and police had to use their batons on the group.

A liquid believed to be acid was also removed from the grounds.

Chief Inspector Alan Hutton said:

“We were aware of community tensions in the area ahead of a planned event at a church yesterday morning. A crowd of more than 200 people gathered in the grounds of the church and we deployed sufficient officers to keep people safe and prevent disorder.

“However, as tensions between two groups escalated, it was necessary for officers to intervene and use minimal force including the use of their batons, given the number of people involved. There were no reports of any injuries and no arrests were made at the time.

“Following a pre-planned search of the area earlier in the morning, a number of items were seized including two loaded shotguns, a quantity of ammunition, a number of knives and blades, as well as a liquid believed to be acid.

“Police enquiries into the incident are ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to contact us on the non-emergency number 101, quoting reference 278 of 2/2/19."