COPS recovered two guns from an Oldbury cannabis factory after being called to a failed ram-raid.

The weapons, a shotgun and a handgun, were discovered at a unit on the Granada Trading Estate in Oldbury.

Police were called to the premises at 2.20pm on October 16 following reports of men using a van to ram-raid the unit.

The would-be raider failed to get in and made their getaway but when officers went inside they found a large cannabis farm containing around 1,000 plants and four suspected drugs farmers.

Men aged 21, 22, 29 and 30 − all Albanian nationals in the country illegally − were arrested on suspicion of cultivating cannabis and have since been transferred to an immigration reception centre in Kent.

Specialist police search teams found a shotgun on the roof of the unit − plus a live shotgun cartridge − and later uncovered a black handgun hidden inside a bag. Both weapons have been sent for forensic analysis.

Detective inspector Phil Asquith, from West Midlands Police, said: "The men trying to force entry to the unit made off very quickly. Our officers arrived on the scene about eight minutes after the initial 999 call and that enabled us to make the arrests on site and secure the location.

"We’ve gone on to find what appears to be two viable, potentially lethal firearms inside. That’s two more weapons off our streets and we’ll now be examining those to determine if they’ve been used in crime or shootings."

Anyone who witnessed the attempted ram-raid, or a van speeding off from the scene, is urged to contact West Midlands Police on 101, Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111 or via Live Chat at WMP Online.