You can buy one for £50 or £70 with a load of ammunition

The smuggling of the weapons, some of which he said were manufactured in India and China, others sold in Eastern Europe, was made easier due to easier communications and international travel connections.

Mr Gray, who has written the book Armed Response about his experiences in the Met, described Britain's borders as "porous to say the least".

"Buying weapons in Europe and bringing them into England is not really a problem, bringing them in to the Kent Cinq Ports is even less of a problem," Mr Gray said.

"It is very easy," he added

Mr Gray said he believed the extent gun crime was being "underplayed" in Britain.

He said "The number of weapons that are in criminal hands I would suggest has gone up enormously."

And Mr Gray said nowadays, on the streets of a city like Manchester it could be possible to get hold of a gun within hours: "If you were a member of a certain fraternity and of a certain age group I don't think you would have trouble getting one at all. Within an hour, I suspect, if you were in touch with the right people."

Mr Gray even said he thought it was possible Kalashnikov AK47 assualt rifles could be making their way into this country.

"In places like India, we have village craftsmen who can clone a Kalashnikov assault rifle very efficiently. India, China all over the place.

"The Kalashnikov is one of the most lethal weapons in the world, but it is also commonly available."

Mr Gray said he believed gun crime in the UK was spiralling: "Gun crime in general is rising, it is out of control. I believe the public do not have a full picture of what is going on nor the extent of it."

He said the weapons were available for under £100, along with bullets.

"You can buy one for £50 or £70 with a load of ammunition, I understand. Guns have been made for the past two centuries, there are loads of them out there," he revealed.

Mr Gray was not hopeful for the future of cracking down on gun crime, despite the Government's proposed Violent Crime Bill, saying Brits would have to learn to live with it.

"I don’t think we are going to be able to stamp it out I think we are going to have to live with it," he said.

"It is very difficult for the British public to digest what they are now faced with, but they have no choice.

"It will never be possible to train enough armed policemen, let alone recruit them to deal with the problem as it is now. The resources required are absolutely enormous and our society would change