Machetes and fireworks among items seized from home of Staffordshire man posting racist material

Machetes, fireworks were among items discovered when officers carried out a swoop at the Wombourne home of 31-year-old Richard Britton as part of a planned operation.

Britton, aged 31, of Wombourne, admitted two counts of publishing or distributing threatening, abusive or insulting material between February and March 2023 when he appeared before a judge this week.

Staffordshire Police said the defendant displayed anti-Islamic, racist and anti-immigration sentiments and used threatening language on his social media account. He also shared images of weapons online and encouraged others to do the same. The account was later suspended by Twitter.

He was arrested during a planned operation on April 26, 2023 and following a search of his address in The Longlands weapons were recovered which matched those featuring in his social media posts.

Britton initially denied the offences but he entered guilty pleas at Wolverhampton Crown Court on May 21. 

Lead investigator Det Supt Annie Miller, of Counter Terrorism Policing in the West Midlands, said: “When we searched Britton’s address following his arrest, we found machetes, fireworks and material matching the images he’d posted online.

“Our absolute priority is to ensure the safety and security of the people who live, work and visit the wider West Midlands area."

Every year thousands of reports from the public help police tackle the terrorist threat.

At the time a number of residents living in neighbouring properties were evacuated as a precaution and the Army’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal team were called in to support the police searches at Britton's accommodation.

A resident, who did not want to be named, said: "We saw the police arrive. This was about 8.45am. There was quite a lot of them and they were in plain clothes.

"There were lots of vehicles, but no flashing lights. We stayed out of the way. We did see the Army bomb disposal team come into the street at about 4pm.

"When we took our dog for a walk down the lane afterwards a female police officer asked us where we lived. That was all. We weren't evacuated."

The Staffordshire force said members of the public should trust their instinct if they see or hear something that doesn’t seem right and report concerns confidence via website gov.uk/ACT.

Britton will be sentenced on July 25.