St Leonards residents 'horrified' after finding knives discarded in drain

The residents were removing silt from the drain at the rear of some flats in Saxon Street, St Leonards, on Tuesday morning (November 3).

One of the people who find the knives, and asked to remain anonymous, said: "The knives had clearly been dropped down the drain by their carrier(s) to avoid detection, and possibly for future use.

"We were horrified at the discovery, and saddened to think that within the local community there is this underlying threat of violence."

The resident said the knives were handed in at Hastings Police station on Tuesday afternoon.

Today (Wednesday, November 11), a spokesman for Sussex Police said the drain where the knives were found had been cleared approximately a year ago.

They added: "Five knives were handed in to the front office of Hastings police station on Tuesday (November 3) having been found in a drain in Saxon Street, St Leonards.

"The drain had last been emptied approximately a year ago. The knives have been seized and stored securely."

The discovery comes after a number of incidents involving knives in Hastings and St Leonards over the past three weeks.