Police are now warning that the lethal fireworks could kill or maim if set off by accident.

The mortars, which are marked with the words Northern Fireworks, are about three to five inches wide and look the size and shape of brown onions.

"Anyone standing within 100 metres when the fireworks explode could receive extensive burns, anyone closer could be killed by the shock wave and there is also the possibility of losing a limb," said police spokesman.

The box of 20 fireworks went missing in transit between Birmingham and Minshull Vernon on October 8 - but police have only just been informed.

They are commercial fireworks and should be set off in special firing tubes. The tubes themselves were delivered to Minshull Vernon, at the home of a firework display organiser.

If the mortars are set off on the ground without the firing tubes it is impossible to tell which way they will go.

"The safest way to make the mortars safe is to place them in a bucket of water and telephone the police immediately," added the police spokesman.

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