CCTV footage has helped police to take action against a youth who lied about being robbed.

The 17-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, contacted Hereford police in January, claiming he had been robbed of cash and threatened with violence near the city's railway station. He gave a description of the offender' and police launched a search and appealed for witnesses.

Checks of CCTV footage of the area at the time of the robbery' revealed it had not happened.

Detective Sergeant Tim Powell said: "Robbery is a serious crime which rarely occurs in Hereford and police made every effort to find the offender - but in reality it had never happened.

"The fear of crime is a real factor in people's lives and false reporting of incidents in this way can have a tremendous impact and is regarded by police as a very serious matter.

"Aside from diverting officers from investigating genuine offences, it causes undue concern among the local community.

"An innocent person could easily have been arrested in connection with the robbery, just by fitting the description and being in the vicinity at the time.

"We are grateful to Herefordshire Community Safety and Drugs Partnership for maintaining a good CCTV system which regularly provides evidence that secures convictions at court."

The youth, who admitted making the story up, was reprimanded for wasting time and obstructing police.