A teenage boy found a massive stash of shotguns and ammunition as he played with a metal detector near his home.

The 14-year-old boy was out hunting for scrap metal when he discovered four shotguns, a semi-automatic rifle and ‘thousands of bullets’ wrapped in black bin bags buried under wasteland off Bowker Vale Avenue in Crumpsall.

Police are currently forensically testing the weapons and ammunition to discover if they could have been used in previous shootings.

The dad of the schoolboy - who asked not to be identified for fear of reprisals - told the M.E.N of his shock after his son found the firearms along with around ‘15,000 bullets’ at around 4pm on Saturday afternoon.

He said: “There were thousands and thousands of bullets.

“My son phoned me up and said he’d found some bullets. I thought he meant old lead bullets that you can get some scrap money for.

“When I went to pick him up I couldn’t believe what was in the bags. At first I thought they were sledge hammers or baseball bats.

“I took it all home, then I saw the guns. I started panicking and just called the police. It was pretty scary.

“My son helped take those guns off the street so a gang didn’t get hold of them.”

Greater Manchester Police were called to the scene and immediately seized the weapons and launched an investigation.

Officers stressed the weapons had been buried for ‘some time’ and could not be used.

Detective Inspector Chris Flint said: “At this stage of our investigation, we cannot say where these guns have come from or their intended purpose.

“They have been recovered for forensic analysis and the results will play a key part in our investigation.

“It is important to stress that from our initial inquiries we’ve established the guns have been there sometime and cannot be used or reactivated.

“I therefore want to reassure people living and working in this community that there is no threat or risk to anyone from these weapons.”

Shootings in Greater Manchester have fallen 77 per cent over the last six years - from a high of 146 incidents 2007/2008 to 34 last year.