A Colchester couple charged with firearms offences after two guns and rounds of ammunition were found stored at a house will appear in court in April.

Officers from the Organised Crime Partnership (OCP), a joint NCA and Metropolitan Police unit, carried out a search of a property in Broom Way, Colchester, on Thursday, February 25, where they seized two handguns, one of which was fully loaded.

Officers found both firearms in a wooden box, which was stored in an ottoman at the end of a bed, along with up to fifty bullets.

Lance Ames, 64, and Kim Ames, 61, both of Broom Way, Colchester, have both been charged with possessing firearms, ammunition and obstructing police.

The couple had been due to appear at Ipswich Crown Court on Monday but the plea and trial preparation hearing was adjourned until April 28.

Judge Emma Peters also made a provisional trial date, with the case placed on a two-week warned list for September 6.