COUNTY residents are being told to surrender unwanted air weapons ahead of new rules coming into force.

A three-week surrender campaign has been launched by police, running from Monday to June 12.

New rules will make it illegal for anyone to possess an air weapon without a licence under the Air Weapon and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2015, which comes into force from December 31.

However, prior to this date, anyone holding an air weapon has six months to either obtain a certificate or to surrender their weapons to the police.

Over the three-week surrender campaign, a total of 72 police stations have been designated as locations where air weapons can be handed in if owners do not wish to apply for a licence.

In East Lothian, Musselburgh and Haddington are the two stations where this can be done.

Assistant Chief Constable Mark Williams, of Police Scotland, said: “Protecting the public sits at the heart of everything we do and Police Scotland fully supports the new legislation and the more robust licensing arrangements that will be introduced.

"I would urge members of the public who own air weapons but don’t intend licensing them to take advantage of our surrender campaign.

"There will be 72 stations across Scotland where you can safely surrender your unwanted air weapons to trained staff. Take a moment or two to look out old or unwanted weapons and follow the advice on our website regarding how to safely transport them and where to take them.

"Getting rid of these unwanted air weapons will make our streets safer. Remember, if you keep air weapons and don’t have a license you will be committing a criminal offence.”

A number of police officers have been provided with specialist training to support the safe surrender process and to assist in the management of demand during the period of the campaign and beyond.

To find out where your nearest designated station is, and the hours of operation, see www.scotland.police.uk/airweaponsurrender. There you can also get advice on how to safely transport the weapons.