A 46-year-old man has been arrested after police found a suspected criminal factory responsible for converting a “significant number of firearms and ammunition into lethal weapons” in Sussex.

Forward venting Zoraki hand guns, modified ammunition and firearms conversion paraphernalia were recovered when National Crime Agency (NCA) officers attended the property on Moor Lane in Westfield on Wednesday.

The man was arrested on suspicion of firearms offences and has since been released under investigation while inquiries continue.

Mark McCormack, branch commander at the NCA said: “This is a significant outcome.

“I have no doubt that this was a firearms conversion factory, which could have been responsible for the modification of a significant number of firearms and ammunition into lethal weapons.

“We know there is a high demand for firearms in the criminal market place and firearms enable serious violence across many crime areas.”

Anyone who has any information about illegally held firearms or ammunition should contact their local police on 101, the NCA said.