THE mum of a teenager who was stabbed to death at a house party has released images showing thousands of knives collected from three amnesty bins across Essex.

Caroline Shearer posted the pictures on Facebook after her charity emptied the bins in Basildon, Southend and Clacton.

Her son, Jay Whiston, died after being stabbed by Edward Redman at a party in Colchester in 2012.

She has since set up the knife charity, Only Cowards Carry, which works in both Essex and Suffolk.

Jo Robinson (pictured), the sister of James Attfield, who was knifed to death by Colchester killer James Fairweather in 2014, has also joined the charity's ranks.

In her Facebook post, which has been shared almost 1,300 times, Mrs Shearer said: "Only Cowards Carry have emptied another three amnesty bins today in Southend, Basildon and Clacton.

"I am shocked by the amount hended in but happy these blades are not on our streets. Absolutely shocking."

The group emptied bins in Chelmsford, Braintree and Colchester earlier this week.

Mrs Shearer added: "I get quite agitated when people try to defend knives. There is no reason to carry a gun - it's more dangerous to carry one than not."

The charity has trained between 20,000 and 30,000 school children about the dangers of carrying knives since its creation.

For safety reasons, people depositing weapons in bins are advised to wrap the weapon or blade in newspaper, before placing it in a secure cardboard box and then transporting it to either site.

Earlier this year, an Essex Police spokesman said the county was still a “relatively safe county” with a comparatively low crime rate.

A force spokesman added: “Drug and gang-related crime is a growing problem in some areas of the county and we know the impact on our communities this has."

If someone is unsure about whether to bring in a knife they can contact Essex Police on 101 for advice.