A pencil turned into a weapon after a razor blade was pressed into its side has been seized by police after being found hidden behind a bin near Kingston station.

The pencil, which appears to have been bought from the souvenir shop at Kew Gardens in Richmond, was found by Kingston police on Friday at about 9.30pm.

Someone had modified the pencil so that a hole in its side would accommodate the razor blade, police said.

A spokesman for Kingston police said the potentially lethal weapon appeared as if had been “concealed” rather than dumped.

No arrests have been made.

A spokeswoman for Kew Gardens said: “We do not bear any responsibility for how products are used once they been purchased.”