A FATHER who has been campaigning for knife carriers to hand over their blades since his son was murdered is “overwhelmed and delighted” after nearly 7,000 weapons were handed into knife amnesty boxes.

Trevor Woolley, whose son Ashley, 18, died in December 2014 after he was stabbed by his classmate in Oaklands Park, worked with Essex Police and the anti-knife charity Only Cowards Carry to install metal knife amnesty boxes in Chelmsford, Braintree, Clacton, Colchester and Basildon.

A total of 6,897 weapons, including various blades, a BB gun, a pellet gun and throwing stars, have been collected from the bins since the initiative was launched in January 2015.

Mr Woolley, who lives in Witham, said: “It’s absolutely fantastic, it’s a real tribute to all of those who have been affected by knife crime and just shows that it does actually work.

“I’d like to thank everyone who has handed in a weapon to the bins, if they weren’t engaging and handing them in, it wouldn’t be a success.

“When the Chelmsford bin launched I said I would be thrilled if even one knife was handed in, as it’s one less knife which could take a life.”

The blades are sent to the British Ironwork Centre, which is transforming surrendered weapons collected into an angel sculpture.

Chief superintendent Ewen Wilson said: “If amnesties persuade even one person to think twice about carrying a knife and to get rid of it, they are a valuable tool in making Essex an even safer county.

“The chances of most of us being a victim of knife crime are very low – just a one in 1,515 chance.

“But even one victim is too many and we will con - tinue to take a tough stance on dealing with those caught carrying or using knives, and working with our partners to help people understand that carrying a knife is not the answer to any problem.

“However, the public also have a vital role in helping us, as the more information we have, the easier it is for us to stop these crimes from happening.”