A MAN and a woman have been arrested after a suspected illegal gun and ammunition were seized at a home in Bury.

The Stephen Street home was searched by police just before 1pm on Tuesday November 18 with officers finding a "prohibited firearm" and two rounds of ammunition.

A man, 29, and a woman, 26, were arrested at the scene on suspicion of possession of a firearm and ammunition without a certificate and have since been released on bail pending further enquiries.

Detective Sergeant Graham Whittaker, of GMP's Bury division, said: "One of our main priorities is to ensure the public is safe from harm and, thankfully, the hard work put in by officers throughout this operation has resulted in us being able to remove another lethal weapon off our streets.

"Firearms have the power to cause serious damage. They have no place in our society and we are dedicated to getting them off our streets.

"While we continue to work hard to stop this form of serious crime, the information provided by the public can be crucial to our investigations. Anyone with information or suspicions should contact police via our LiveChat function at www.gmp.police.uk or the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555."

The search and arrests form part of Operation Challenger, a crackdown on serious organised crime across Greater Manchester.