Fourteen knives have been handed in at Borehamwood police station over the past two weeks, during a countywide awareness campaign.

Since September 15, knife deposit bins have been placed at police stations across Hertfordshire in a bid to drive down the number of weapons on the streets.

The campaign also aims to get across the message that the county is a hostile environment for those who carry, or are tempted to carry, a knife illegally.

And so far, 14 knives have been deposited at the Elstree Way station, including two hunting knives, a sword and a machete.

The tally also included seven kitchenware knives, which includes cutlery knives, peeling knives and chopping knives, and three miscellaneous items.

Nearby Bushey Police Station has collected two knives to date and only one has been handed it at Potters Bar station.

In total, 587 bladed items have been deposited in the specially-designated bins across the county with the campaign due to last another two weeks.

Detective Superintendent Mark Drew, from the Community Safety and Crime Reduction Unit, said: “This is an excellent example of the constabulary working with the residents of Hertfordshire to get rid of any knives and blades before they could be used in a crime, and demonstrates that together we are committed to keeping knife crime out of the county.

“We are only halfway through the campaign, so I’d urge those tempted to carry a knife to get rid of the temptation and make use of the bins — that way they will be shredded and can never reach Hertfordshire’s streets,” he added.