Imitation firearms bought in Wales looked so real they could easily be mistaken for genuine weapons, trading standards bosses have warned.

One of almost 50 imitation firearms purchased during a countrywide safety survey was so powerful it could have been fired with lethal consequences.

The Wales Heads of Trading Standards Group carried out the survey on the safety of ball-bearing (BB) guns.

Three of the suspect imitation guns were bought in Powys by trading standards officers “test purchasing”. They failed to comply with labelling regulations, said a county council spokesman.

Today, trading standards officers used the results of the survey to reinforce the message it is illegal to carry an imitation firearm in a public place.

And they emphasise, since the law was tightened on October 1, it is an offence to manufacture or supply a realistic imitation firearm to anyone. It is now also illegal to supply an imitation firearm to anyone under the age of 18. The distinction between realistic and non-realistic firearms will be based on size and colour.

Councillor Graham Brown, Powys Community Safety Partnership chairman, said: “It is my understanding one of the BB guns purchased was so powerful it was deemed capable of firing with a lethal force.”

Chief Inspector Andy Twigger, of Dyfed-Powys Police, said police officers were regularly called on to deal with the sighting of a firearm in a public place.

He said: “The new legislation will help control the presence of replicas on our streets, and the message we want to give is that replica firearms have no place in our communities.”