Winchester police are hoping to see a flood of illegal weapons into their station this month, during the first national gun amnesty in seven years.

Hampshire Constabulary is supporting the amnesty, called "Get guns off the streets", even though the county has a low gun crime record.

In 2001-02, only one person in Hants and the Isle of Wight died as a result of a gun-related crime. In the following 12 months, there were no deaths.

But the amnesty will also give people a chance to surrender prohibited CS gas, pepper sprays and, more importantly, according to police, replica weapons.

Legislation is due to come in which would make it an offence to possess a replica firearm in a public place without a reasonable excuse.

But while the amnesty is running, anyone giving up weapons will not face prosecution. It can even be done completely anonymously.

Hampshire's assistant chief constable, Colin Smith, said: "Replica firearms and knives, used both criminally or more commonly irresponsibly, threaten the reputation of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight as some of the safest counties in the UK and have no place on our streets.

"Guns and knives should not engender respect among our youth, but contempt."

He added that the amnesty also gave people the opportunity to give up lawfully-held guns, such as airguns and ammunition which they no longer needed.

At the end of the amnesty, on April 30th, most of the guns will be destroyed, but some unusual or rare examples could be passed to museums. Weapons can be handed in at 14 Hampshire police stations.

Winchester police station, in North Walls, is open from 8am to 8pm, Monday to Saturday and from 8am to 6pm on Sundays. Eastleigh police station, in Leigh Road, is open from 8am to 10pm and Lyndhurst police station, in Pykes Hill, is open from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday.

In the last firearms amnesty, in June 1996, 909 guns were surrendered to Hampshire Constabulary, with 27,500 rounds of ammunition.