POLICE have urged people not to endanger the force helicopter and its crew by shining laser lights at it.

The unusual plea comes following an incident in which a green laser light was shone at the helicopter from a vehicle while it was helping with a search shortly after midnight on Friday.

A Devon and Cornwall police spokesman said: "Shining a laser at someone in charge of a vehicle or aircraft is stupid and irresponsible and could, and on occasion does, lead to an accident. It can lead to temporary blindness of the driver or pilot potentially leading to a very serious incident.

"We are treating this offence extremely seriously and anyone who is caught doing this will be prosecuted and feel the full force of the law."

The latest incident happened in the Clearbrook area, north of Plymouth.

The helicopter crew directed police units on the ground to the vehicle the light was coming from.

Two men in a black Vauxhall Astra were arrested shortly afterwards.

One was charged with possession of cannabis the other was cautioned for acting in a manner likely to endanger an aircraft.

Those convicted of recklessly endangering an aircraft can face a maximum five-year jail term.