Rural highway closed after firearms found

Members of the Armed Offenders squad. Photo / Supplied

A rural highway was closed off this morning after loaded firearms were located in a Waikato property.

The road between Thames and Paeroa was cordoned off, and road blocks were also established around the area of Matatoki School.

Police officers and the Waikato Armed Offenders Squad attended the scene where they seized cannabis, a loaded .22 calibre pistol, a loaded .44 Magnum rifle and quantities of ammunition.

A 31-year-old man and a 25-year-old woman were taken to the Thames Police Station where they would face a variety of charges, Detective Sergeant Martyn Hughes said.

Police applied "a lot of thought into where and how to secure properties subject to searches and minimising the inconvenience to the public while maintaining their safety", Mr Hughes said.

"Sometimes, like in today's incident it is necessary to close roads and this can cause come disruption to the public," he said.

Police tried to keep disruptions to a minimum, he said.

"Unfortunately when dealing with drug and firearm offending there is a risk to the public and it is better to be safe than sorry," he said. NZME sk pd