A Woolwich man has been charged after police seized a fully automatic submachine gun hidden within a speaker.

Brian Divengele, 31, of Brookhill Road, was arrested on Monday, November 15, when detectives acting on intelligence stopped two cars driving in convoy on Crossthwaite Avenue, Herne Hill.

Officers searched the vehicles and found a PM63 RAK machine pistol, capable of fully automatic fire, hidden inside a speaker on the rear seat of one of the cars.

The weapon was made safe and has been sent off for testing.

Divengele was charged with possession of a prohibited automatic weapon on November 16, along with Thomas Burke, 53, of Croydon, who was arrested at the same time.

They were taken to a south London police station where they remain in custody.

Detective Chief Inspector Victoria Sullivan, from the Met's Specialist Crime Command, said: “Excellent investigation work by officers has led to an extremely dangerous weapon, which has been designed to cause serious harm or death, being taken off the streets of London.

“We remain dedicated to making London a safer place for everyone by carrying out operations such as this one. We will continue to disrupt those intent on committing violent crime on our streets.”

Detective Chief Inspector Daniel Smith, from the Central South Command which covers Lambeth and Southwark, said: “I know this lethal weapon being recovered on the streets of Southwark will cause concern for local residents.

“But let me assure you that firearms have no place on our streets and we are doing everything in our power to arrest those who carry and supply guns.

“However, we cannot tackle this issue alone and we rely on information from the public to help us to robustly tackle gun crime. Any information you have, no matter how small, can really help our investigations."

Have you got a story for us? You can contact us here.

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to keep up with all the latest news.

Sign up to our newsletters to get updates sent straight to your inbox.