A farmer turned up at Worcester police station to complain that he had found a sawn-off shotgun hidden behind feed bins on the family holding.

Jonathan Jeffries said he thought it belonged to his brother and he had taken it to nearby woodland, thrown it over a bridge and it was hidden in the bank of a brook.

Police followed his directions and found the weapon, which was loaded with a live cartridge, said Michael Aspinall, prosecuting at Worcester Crown Court.

Jeffries, aged 39, of Wall Hill Farm, Orleton, Stanford Bridge, between Tenbury and Worcester, pleaded guilty to having a prohibited weapon. He was jailed for five years.

He will serve half, less the 180 days he has already spent in custody.

Mr Aspinall said Jeffries was concerned about possible actions of his brother but although he had thrown the weapon away, it was still accessible to the public.

The gun had been examined by a firearms expert and although it had no stock and the barrel had been shortened, it was capable of firing cartridges.

Jeffries, who had visited the police station in January this year, also said he had disposed of 250 live rounds. He had one previous conviction for growing cannabis.

Jason Aris, defending, said that Jeffries had gone to the police of his own accord and told them how he had tried to dispose of the shotgun. He had taken them to the stream where they had been able to recover the weapon.

It was not a case of someone having the weapon with sinister intent. He said that there were exceptional circumstances so that the mandatory five-year sentence need not be imposed.

However, Recorder Davinder Lachaar said Jeffries had been in possession of the shotgun from September last year until he went to the police in January.

Although he had thrown the weapon away, it could still have been found by a member of the public. It was luck rather than judgement that it had not been discovered by a passer-by.