Stupid young hoaxers brought panic to York streets and sparked an emergency search of the skies above North Yorkshire in two separate false alarms on the same day.

Police condemned three youths who prompted one of the wild goose chases, an armed police operation, when they were seen carrying what looked like an automatic pistol.

And Superintendent Jim Kilmartin also attacked the stupidity of a 15-year-old schoolboy who forced an RAF station to scramble a helicopter and a spotter plane in response to his bogus May Day calls.

Supt Kilmartin, area commander of York and Selby police, said the two alerts could have cost the authorities tens of thousands of pounds.

"I feel it is incredible we have this kind of stupidity on the streets of York," said Supt Kilmartin.

"We appeal to parents who know their children have replica weapons to ensure they do not take them into public places."

The York incident happened when officers on a covert operation to crack car theft and burglary in the Bell Farm area spotted three youths with what appeared to be an automatic pistol.

Armed police were called and three youths were challenged at gunpoint.

"We recovered what later turned out to be a replica automatic pistol," said Supt Kilmartin.

"It was identical to the real thing in every detail and the young man who had it in his possession was arrested and has now been bailed.

In Selby, emergency workers were called by a "pilot" who reported losing control of his glider near Drax power station.

The London Air Traffic Control Emergency Centre received the May Day at 11.35am and scrambled a helicopter and spotter plane from RAF Leconfield.

The "pilot", later said to be a 15-year-old boy from Carlton, claimed he had taken off from Burn airfield.

After a thorough search proved fruitless, RAF Kinloss in Scotland received a call from a man who said he was the "May Day" glider pilot and wanted to thank emergency workers.

The caller was traced to Carlton, where Selby police spoke to a boy and confiscated a radio. It is understood the teenager bought it second-hand and allegedly used it to tune in to the international distress frequency.

Supt Kilmartin said: "The boy has been interviewed and reports are to be submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service.

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