A police chief has thanked a campaigning daily for its work to help outlaw weapons which will be officially made illegal this week.

West Midlands assistant police and crime commissioner Ashley Bertie, left,
has extended his gratitude to Wolverhampton-based newspaper the Express & Star for its work in helping to bring in a ban on so-called ‘zombie knives’.

The Express & Star first raised the issue of ‘zombie knives’, so called due to being marketed as weapons to fight zombies with, in July 2015 after revealing a legal loophole meant instruments with names like ‘head splitter’ could be ordered online and shipped to homes in the UK legally.

The knives can have cutting blades of up to 25 inches, have a serrated edge and include images or words that glamorise violence.

The amendment to the Criminal Justice Act 1988 will ban the sale, manufacture, rental or importation of knives often referred to as ‘zombie knives’, ‘zombie killer knives’ and ‘zombie slayer knives’ from tomorrow in England and Wales.

Anyone who manufactures, sells, hires, imports or lends a ‘zombie knife’ now faces six months behind bars and/or a hefty fine.

Praising the newspaper’s work, Mr Bertie said: “The Express & Star got the ball rolling on this issue and have played a key part in this change in the law.

“I would like to thank the newspaper and its journalists for all their hard work. This shows what a strong local newspaper can achieve.”