MORE shotgun licences were revoked in West Yorkshire last year, new figures have shown.

It comes as more certificates for firearm and shotgun users across England and Wales were removed last year than ever before, which campaign group Action on Armed Violence said "can only be good".

The Gun Control Network called on the Government to "dramatically increase" licence fees so the police can conduct more thorough checks.

Home Office figures show 68 shotgun certificates were revoked by West Yorkshire Police in the year to March – up from 52 the year before.

The figures also show 26 firearm licences were revoked over the same period – up from 17 in 2022-23.

The police can revoke any individual's firearms licence if they believe they cannot be trusted with it, are a danger to the public, or no longer have a good reason to hold it.

Nationally, 1,559 shotgun certificates were revoked across England and Wales – a 34% increase on 2022-23, and the highest figure since comparable records began in 2008-09.

The data also shows 9,771 shotgun and 3,055 firearm certificates were active in West Yorkshire as of the end of March, the equivalent of 1,055 and 574 per 100,000 people respectively.