A 47-year-old man from the Craven area is due to
appear at Harrogate Magistrates' Court today (Monday 20 May 2013)
charged with four firearms licence-related offences.
The charges are: possession of a Section 5 firearm; possession of a
Section 1 firearm; possession of an imitation firearm and possession of
ammunition in excess of a licence.He was arrested in Cononley at around 2.15pm on Friday 17 May 2013.
Following questioning during the weekend, he was charged with the offences and remanded in custody.
Specialist police teams have been searching land near the property for any other firearms which may be connected to the incident.
On Sunday (19 May), police called in the Army bomb disposal team as a precautionary measure after what appeared to be grenade-type devices were found nearby.
A 200 metre cordon was placed around the property and about 50 neighbouring homes were evacuated, with residents going to the local village hall while the items were recovered.
Local diversions were also put in place to keep traffic away from the incident.
The Army confirmed the items were dummy devices and did not pose a danger.
Residents were allowed back in their homes at about 3.50pm on Sunday. The roads re-opened at the same time.
Chief Inspector Simon Lovell, the Craven Safer Neighbourhood Commander, said: "We thank the residents in Cononley for their patience and understanding throughout the police operation.
"I would like to reassure them that the charges relate to firearms licence breaches, rather than anything more sinister.
"However, the incident has been treated very seriously and a great deal of effort has gone into dealing with the situation in a professional, controlled and safe manner."
