Police have shut down a graveyard after discovering a gun and ammunition in the cemetery.
Merseyside Police officers descended on the cemetery in Liverpool after a member of the public found a gun at the site.
Police received a report about the discovery at around 1.15pm on Tuesday, the Liverpool Echo reports.
A bag containing a handgun and ammunition was found in the cemetery. Forensic enquiries are ongoing to confirm the type of firearm.
Officers have now put a cordon in place covering hundreds of grave stones.
Forensics officers were seen kneeling down on the floor next to a plot of graves with a number of evidence bags.
A spokesperson from Merseyside Police said: “We are aware that seeing police officers present in a cemetery may cause distress to some people.
"Please be reassured that this vital work will be carried out in a respectful and considerate manner and as swiftly as possible.
“I would encourage anyone who has any questions to engage with our officers.”
Merseyside Police added: "The items will be forensically recovered, and we remain at the location to carry out further enquiries."
The type of gun found has not yet been identified, with officers working to forensically examine the firearm overnight.
Officers said they were not yet able to confirm if the gun is linked to the shootings of Sam Rimmer, Ashley Dale or Olivia Pratt-Korbel.
Speaking today (Wednesday), police said enquiries are ongoing.
Detective Inspector John Mullen from Merseyside Police's Firearms Investigations Team said: “Every weapon we seize makes our communities safer, and this gun was stored with ammunition, which could have been used to cause serious harm. We will now conduct forensic work to establish if this is a weapon which has been used before and who has had it in their possession.
“If you have any information on this or other weapons, do the right thing and come forward immediately, as what you know could remove dangerous people and their weapons from the streets of Merseyside.”
It comes after a mum and dad were left shocked when their two young children found a " gun " at a beauty spot.
Jeny Chapman, 34, and Matt Coatman, 49, were enjoying a day out at their local reservoir when their kids Annabelle Coatman, 7, and Lincoln Buckle, 6, found an old rusty pistol.
The family were incredibly concerned that the weapon was real after inspecting it and later posting it on social media.
Dad Matt told Manchester Evening News: "We had been down the local reservoir, and obviously they are quite dry at the moment.
"Annabelle and Lincoln wanted to go down and explore, then Annabelle picked the gun up but she thought it was a car light initially."
He continued: "She was like 'oh I've found a car light', and then she went 'oh, it's a gun'. She shouted Lincoln over, and they were both looking at it.
"I went over and had a look to see what state the gun was in. At first I didn't know if it was a real gun or not.
"But when I felt the weight of it, I knew it was either real or a very good replica. I was expecting it to be plastic, but it felt real."
