A man has appeared in court charged with possession of firearms without authority after a National Crime Agency (NCA) operation.

Officers from the NCA arrested a man on All Saints Street, in King's Lynn, on Friday (April 26) afternoon.

Following the arrest 12 handguns, ammunition and 29 stun guns were recovered.

Jurijs Ragozins, 44, appeared at Norwich Magistrates Court on Monday (April 29) after being charged with three offences, including possession of a firearm without authority.

He has also been charged with the sale or transfer of a firearm as well as ammunition.

No pleas were taken and the matter was sent to Maidstone Crown Court on May 28.

Ragozins, a Latvian from Saddlebow Road, Lynn, was remanded in custody until the next hearing.

Martin Huxley, NCA branch commander, said: 'Preventing firearms from reaching the hands of criminals is a key priority for the NCA.

'This represents a significant seizure of weapons which I've no doubt would have been used to commit violent acts on our streets.

'Our investigation into this seizure continues.'

As previously reported, neighbours told how a car was blocked in by police near the junction with Friars Street.

A woman living near the scene said: 'They seemed to have blocked a car off, there were masks and guns all over the place.

'Other people said they'd seen them arrest a man in a car, then one of them put white overalls on and drove off in it.'

Another man said: 'There was a commotion, lots of shouting and plain-clothed police - you could tell they were police - everywhere. Something was obviously happening.'

Police said after the arrest on Friday 12 handguns, ammunition and 29 stun guns have been recovered.

Two further handguns had previously been recovered as part of the same investigation.

Some of the weapons seized are Slovakian-manufactured gas pistols, which can be bought legally over the counter for around £60 in eastern Europe.

Andrea Wilson, NCA regional head of investigations, said: 'Removing these weapons from the criminal market will protect our communities from the harm they could have caused.