These shocking pictures show some of the terrifying weapons taken off London's streets - including a medieval flail.

Ryan Biddiss, 28, is on a mission to clean up the capital after brutal murders near his home in Woolwich.

The ex-youth worker is running an amnesty - Protect Our Children - to get people to hand over their weapons.

And he has shared images of some of the items he's received - which range from kitchen knives to sophisticated blades.

Ryan, who lives in the south-east London district, said: "All the weapons I've collected are powerful and frightening."

"Some of the stuff is really shocking, and the weight of them is very scary. Parents call me up after they've found weapons in kids' play parks."

"Sometimes grandparents or parents who have found them hidden in kids' bedrooms; sometimes it's young people handing them in."

"People are scared, and people handing them in are frightened of repercussions."

"But I'm careful to protect them, because I want to encourage more people to hand weapons over."

Ryan, who is starting a career in security, said zombie knives - inspired by sci-fi films - are among the scariest weapons he's handled.

He's also been handed a medieval flail - which has two spiked balls on a wooden pole - and double-handed 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle' blades.

Ryan says he has several reasons for running the amnesty.

He lives near where Fusilier Lee Rigby was killed, which he says had an effect on him.

The drummer, 25, was brutally murdered near his barracks in Woolwich in 2013.

Ryan says he also decided to take action after seeing the distressed mum of Tamim Ian Habimana.

The 15-year-old was stabbed in the heart in Woolwich in 2021.

And losing his dad to cancer three years ago also inspired Ryan take action - making him want to take responsibility for making a difference.

He said: "My dad dying just broke me."

"And I'll never forget the day Lee Rigby was killed. It was awful."

"I saw Tamim Ian Habimana's mum. That brought me to tears. I knew I needed to do something."

"I meet families bereaved because of knife crime as part of my work promotion."

"It's really powerful when they hug you - you feel all that emotion and you know the work is extremely important."

Ryan set up accounts on social media - such as @pocpatrol21 on Instagram - two years ago.

He now has more than 3,000 followers and is working with the Metropolitan Police, he says.

People wanting to hand in weapons should message or call Ryan, he says.

He then asks for pictures of the items so he can plan how to keep safe at the hand over, and how to carry them safely.

Ryan lets police know the rough area he is collecting from so he has backup if needed, and so they know what he's carrying and where.

But he keeps all the details of the address and the person to himself.

Sometimes the police meet Ryan to collect weapons from him, he says.

But if there's going to be a wait, he carries weapons to the nearest station.

Ryan estimates he has recovered over 30 weapons from the streets so far, including three this month.

He said: "I really want to be a part of making London safer."

"It is potentially dangerous for me - it could go wrong."

"The police know what I'm carrying and they give me a special number."

"I have to take the shortest route from where I am to the police station."

The Metropolitan Police said: "We are aware of Ryan Biddis's work and have provided him with advice, however, there is no official agreement."

"Londoners play a vital role in helping to stop violent crime and keep their communities safe."

"We would encourage anyone who wants to hand in a knife to do so by handing it in at one of 12 designated police stations across London which are open 24 hours a day."

There are Words for Weapons knife bins across the capital where Londoners can hand in knives. You can find the London bins here: https://www.word4weapons.co.uk/knife-bin-locations/