Great Barr man faces jail after shotgun found stashed in bin bag in his Vauxhall Corsa

Joshua Barrett was driving towards Birmingham at around 11.40pm on October 2 last year when he was held by officers on Walsall Road, Great Barr.

Upon looking inside his Vauxhall Corsa, they discovered a shotgun wrapped inside a black holdall hidden in a bin bag on the back seat.

A full search led police to discover two mobile phones, £300 in cash, handcuffs, gloves and bags of cannabis.

The shotgun had been decommissioned, but had marks on it suggesting attempts had been made to convert it into a live weapon.

Tools found alongside the weapon are also believed to have been used to get it working again.

At Birmingham Crown Court on Tuesday, Barrett, aged 24, went on to admit possession of an imitation firearm, possession of cannabis with intent to supply, and possession of criminal cash.

DC Claire Smith, from the West Midlands Police Major Crime Proactive Team said: "We stopped Barrett’s car because we strongly believed he had access to firearms.

"The gun was in the process of being converted to fire again, so it’s great that another potentially deadly weapon has been taken off the streets."

Barrett, of West Road, Great Barr, will be sentenced on April 30.

His arrest comes as part of Operation Target, which sees the region's police force tackle serious and organised crime.

Anyone with information on people involved in gun crime in their area should contact West Midlands Police via Live Chat on the its website or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.