A horrified litter picker found a machete during her rounds.

And Augusta Pearson fears the deadly weapon was left there to be retrieved rather than being discarded.

She said: "It shows that Dover is turning out to be a rather dangerous place.

"I've found knives in the past."

Mrs Pearson, 71, discovered the blade at 10am yesterday (Sunday). in the town' s Peter Street.

She explained: "I could first see a bobble and string from under the gates of a disused property.

"I pulled the string and out came the machete.

"I think it was placed like that to be retrieved.

"I only handled it with gloves, contacted police and took it home for safekeeping.

"Then officers arrived to take it away for forensic examination."

She estimates that the weapon, with its handle, was 50 to 55cm long (nearly 2ft).

A Kent Police spokesman said: "At 11.15am on Sunday, January 17, Kent Police received a report that a knife had been found in Peter Street, Dover, earlier that morning.

"The item was removed from the scene by a member of the public and has since been collected from them by a police officer, who will arrange for its safe destruction."

Mrs Pearson and her husband Paul have been volunteer litter pickers for five to six years.

They have also regularly found discarded drug users' needles.

They cover an area near the town centre, also including Maison Dieu Road, Churchill Street, Granville Street and the River Dour.

They fished out 38 discarded shopping trolleys from the river, between Buckland Mill and Pencester Gardens, from March to October last year.

Read more:All the latest news from Dover