Police criticise Lincolnshire car canal hoax

Offenders who pushed a car in to a Lincolnshire canal, prompting a rescue attempt, have been severely criticised.

Police went to Horncastle Road in Boston just before 0200 BST to reports a vehicle with its lights still on was submerged in the Maud Foster Drain.

The officers jumped in and broke the side windows, but found it was empty.

A separate report from the owner confirmed the car had been stolen and police believe it had been pushed into the river as a joke.

Insp Mike Burnett said: "As acts of mischief and criminal damage go, this must be one the most foolhardy and potentially dangerous I have come across.

"By deliberately giving us cause to believe that a motorist had lost control and entered the river, the offenders have put members of the emergency services at risk as the first instinct of my officers when arriving at the scene would have been to locate and save the driver and any passengers."