A removal man was left shaken but not stirred after armed police swooped to retrieve a gun from his house.
Adam Clark had found the handgun – a Walther PPK used by 007, James Bond – in a house clearance, but his find led to armed police being called to his house last Tuesday afternoon.
Eye-witnesses said Wilbraham Road, Congleton, was cordoned off, with eight police vehicles arriving at around 2pm – but the incident came to a peaceful conclusion shortly afterwards when it emerged that the gun involved was a deactivated Walther PPK pistol.
Mr Clark later told the “Chronicle” that the firearm, which had been on display in a cabinet, had been found at a recent house clearance in Ludlow.
With his waste removal business, The Green Van Man, Mr Clark said he often came across interesting finds, which he then gave to charity or sold online.
He said: “We go through everything and try to make sure that as much as possible is diverted from landfill.”
The Walther PPK was used by Britain’s most famous fictional secret agent, James Bond, in many of Ian Fleming’s novels.
With a value of between £500 and £600, Mr Clark said it was his most expensive find to date. He also found a trove of 1980s Star Wars merchandise in the same clearance.
He said: “As soon as I found it, I did a bit of research and saw the gun had stamps on the side from Birmingham to say that it had been deactivated.”
He spoke to a weapons specialist at an auction house in Nantwich, where he plans to sell it.
He explained: “I can’t sell it on myself, because that would be illegal, but I can sell it through the auction house.”
Mr Clark said he was “shocked” after receiving a phone call from one of his neighbours on Tuesday to say that police had swarmed around his house.
He said: “I went home and explained the situation. The police did all their checks and they could see that my story matched – they spoke to the auction house, and could see that it was deactivated.
“They have taken it off me for now while they do some further checks, but I will get it back, and can still sell it at the auction. It’s more of a delay and an inconvenience than anything.”
He added: “I only moved into the house four days ago, so it hasn’t been a very good introduction for my neighbours!”
When asked who he thought had phoned the police about the firearm, he said: “I don’t know, but it must be someone I know who’s jealous that I’m doing well.
“They obviously didn’t tell the police it was deactivated, so they thought it was a real gun.”
Mr Clark still plans to sell the firearm at auction once it is handed back by the police.
A spokesperson for Cheshire Police said: “As part of an ongoing investigation, officers conducted enquiries at an address in Wilbraham Road, Congleton, on Tuesday 6th October.
“Firearms officers were in attendance and following enquiries, no arrests were made. We would like to reassure residents in the area there is no risk to the wider public.”
