A 24-year-old man has made a second appearance before the town's magistrates after a home-made flamethrower was found at his home.

The court heard the device, constructed using a sealant application tool, a butane gas canister and a home made nozzle, had been tested by fire service experts and found capable of projecting a one metre long flame which could set fire to a cardboard box.

The device was discovered at Timothy Anthony Brigg's former home in Woodvale, Darwen, in August.

Briggs, 18, of Foxhouse Street, Blackburn, was committed on bail to Preston Crown court on a charge of possessing a prohibited weapon designed for the discharge of a noxious substance. The charge is under the Firearms Act of 1968.