POLICE today gave parents some stern advice: Do not let your children have ball-bearing guns this Christmas.

The warning comes after a spate of frightening incidents across West Yorkshire - including Huddersfield - where armed police have had to tackle youths with realistic- looking guns.

Huddersfield railway station was evacuated on October 18 after a man was seen on a train with a gun.

Police cleared a Newcastle- bound train and a Huddersfield man with a ball-bearing gun was arrested.

He was charged with an offence relating to the possession of an imitation firearm.

Police say the toy guns look exceptionally realistic - some are exact replicas of real weapons - and police always regard them as real.

If people point a fake gun at the police or members of the public they risk being shot by armed officers.

And the last thing police want is a tragedy over Christmas.

Officers are becoming increasingly worried at what they say is a significant number of incidents where youths brandishing plastic ball-bearing guns, which look identical to real firearms, have prompted 999 calls and triggered an armed police response.

A West Yorkshire Police spokesman said: "These incidents require intensive police resourcing, including the use of uniformed patrol officers and firearms officers - and they could end in tragedy.

"In the vast majority of incidents it is completely impossible for an armed officer to tell the difference between a real firearm and an imitation.

"They have to treat every incident as real until it is concluded and the weapon can be properly inspected by officers with specialist knowledge.

"Aside from the obvious danger they are putting themselves in, these youngsters are also liable to arrest, as it is an offence for any person to possess an imitation firearm in a public place.

"We cannot overstate how irresponsible and dangerous it is to have these things in your possession in public.

"In the majority of cases, those seen with ball-bearing guns are young teenagers," the spokesman added.

"That is why we are urging parents to help us address this issue, particularly in the run-up to Christmas, where parents may be being pressured to buy these items as presents."

Shops are being urged to make sure they only sell ball-bearing guns to people aged over 21.