Wiltshire has been found to be one of the areas with the most shotguns in the UK.

A recent study launched by security experts at Get Licensed found that Wiltshire is in the top 10 areas with the most shotguns, coming in 7th place out of 45 police force areas in the UK.

The figures show that as of March 31, there are 32,633 registered shotguns in Wiltshire and there 28.3 firearm offences per 100,000 people have been recorded during the last decade.

To put this into context, that’s 4,455 more shotguns currently being kept in Wiltshire than there are in the nearby county of Gloucestershire.

The county also ranked fourth in the police force areas with the most registered firearms dealers.

Salisbury Journal: Wiltshire has more shotguns than all of its surrounding counties.Wiltshire has more shotguns than all of its surrounding counties. (Image: Get Licensed)

In 2020, it was reported that gun crime in the county had reached an 11-year high with 47 offences involving a firearm, a 21 per cent increase on the previous year.

Currently, the area of the UK found to have the most shotguns is Dyfed-Powys and other areas in the top five include Norfolk, Suffolk, West Mercia and Cumbria.

Wiltshire Police has been contacted for comment.