Knives, tools and glass bottles among hundreds of weapons seized at Wigan and Leigh Magistrates' Court

Tools, sharps, drugs and glass bottles were also among the items confiscated from people attending Wigan and Leigh Magistrates’ Court in 2020 and 2021.

The large number of items seized and the details of what they were have been revealed after we submitted a request under the Freedom of Information Act to the Ministry of Justice (MoJ).

The response shows 1,142 weapons were found in total – 455 in 2020 and 687 in 2021.

While this was a 51 per cent increase year on year, the number of court hearings held during much of 2020 was limited due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Over the two years, 12 knives were seized – two of which had blades measuring more than three inches.

Seventeen other blades – objects which were not knives but had a sharp edge – were found at the court, along with seven items simply described as “other weapons”.

All knives or blades are seized regardless of size or type, and any measuring more than three inches, fixed blade knives and any blade or article that may be illegal to carry are confiscated and referred to the police.

It is illegal to carry most knives in public without a “good reason” and punishable by up to four years in prison.

Knives with blades under three inches long can be returned to their owner if a written request is made.

No firearms – either genuine or fake – were taken to the centre on Darlington Street, according to the data.

Staff at the court also confiscated 58 tools, 12 items of cutlery, 45 bottles of alcohol, 164 other liquids and 311 glass bottles.

There were 22 seizures of sharps and five of drugs over the two years.

A total of 114 large umbrellas were taken from people at court – 113 in 2020 and just one last year – while 13 motorcycle helmets were seized.

Although these items were not covered by the Offensive Weapons Act, they were taken temporarily from their owners as they could be used to cause harm.

The rest of the weapons – 362 in total – were described as “miscellaneous” in the information provided by the MoJ as they did not fit into the other categories.

All of the items were seized by security staff when people were checked at the entrance to the court building. Here, their bags are looked through, they must walk through a metal detector arch and they are then scanned with a handheld metal detector.

A HM Courts and Tribunals Service spokesman said: “These figures show our stringent security measures are working, as bag checks and metal detectors have found these items before they got into the building.

“Inevitably, we are also confiscating everyday items like nail scissors and knives that court users intend to eat their lunches with – contributing to the seizures of small blades.”