Police recovered a bolt-action rifle at a Wirral beauty spot.
It was found by a dog walker at Port Sunlight river park early yesterday morning.
A police spokesperson said a dog managed to dig up the weapon in a grassland area where it had been buried.
"The bolt-action rifle was rusted and may have been there a considerable time," he added.
"It was recovered by police and CCTV and other enquiries are ongoing."
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People took to social media to report police had taped off a cycle route and were carrying out a search of the undergrowth.
One said: "The police were there at 9 this morning and all day with sniffer dogs and sticks, looked like they were searching for something to me. A lot of police vans too, scary."
