A man arrested following a swoop by armed police in Seaton has appeared in court in Northern Ireland charged with firearms offences.

Mark Harbinson, 48, a prominent loyalist, was accused of possessing a Makarov 9mm semi-automatic pistol, a silencer and 28 rounds of ammunition with intent to endanger life.

He was arrested on New Year’s Eve following a joint operation between Cumbria Constabulary and the Northern Ireland Police Service.

Officers equipped with body armour and guns patrolled in Low Seaton, near Workington, while a helicopter assisted with the search.

They failed to find Harbinson who was arrested when he handed himself in to Cumbria police later the same day.

He appeared before Lisburn Magistrates Court on Saturday.

The court heard that a warrant for Harbinson’s arrest was issued after police, acting on information, searched his home in Sheepwalk Road, Lisburn, on December 21.

They found the weapon, bullets and a working silencer hidden in a tin of biscuits in an outbuilding.

Harbinson was not there.

He failed to hand himself in and instead travelled to Dublin, then took a ferry to Holyhead and train to Carlisle.

He had been staying in a caravan behind an old friend’s home in Low Seaton.

District Judge Amanda Henderson refused an application for bail.

She remanded Harbinson in custody to appear again on January 25 by videolink.