Six British children under five live in a wine cellar in Austria with their parents and their guns

Six British children under the age of five have been found in an abandoned wine cellar in Austria, in an illegal hideout with a 54-year-old Austrian and his 40-year-old wife.

The youths were discovered in the illegal hideout in the small village of Obritz after police broke in after an incident in which the man allegedly attacked social services with pepper spray and tried to flee, The Telegraph reported.

Deputy Mayor Erich Greil said after the discovery that the man once told him he had 10 children and that he wanted “a basement for every child.”

It is believed that the family, consisting of the six children aged seven months to five years, had been living in the basement for several months.

There were complaints from concerned local residents who heard children’s voices in recent weeks, prompting social services to become involved.

The cellars had been renovated to have doors, windows, water, electricity and surveillance cameras, but were said to have “inadequate sanitation” and were deemed “not suitable for children.”

The 54-year-old was described as “smart” by locals, but they also suggested he had ties to conspiracy theorist groups.

The children were reportedly not detained or neglected, police sources told the Telegraph. There is no sexual abuse.

They have since been placed under surveillance due to concerns over a lack of evidence of the children’s identities.

In Austria, all births must be registered with the local authorities by law, but no records have been found of any of the children.

The parents reportedly claim that all five children were born in the UK, where their father is said to have worked.