Police received a 999 call from a member of the public at 5.30pm today reporting what was believed to be a youth with a "butterfly knife" in a town centre.

Officers attended the scene in Heckmondwike and located a 14 year old male matching the description who handed over the knife in the pictures.

Closer examination revealed that the item was actually a training knife, which is not illegal.

A police spokesman said: “As you can see from the pictures, it would be almost impossible to tell this is not a real knife from a distance.”

Heckmondwike ward manager PC Schofield said: "West Yorkshire police are dedicated to tackling knife crime on our streets. Although on this occasion it has shown not to be an offensive weapon, it could easily be perceived as one by any member of the public and rightly so cause concern and alarm. This in itself could lead to other offences such as public order.

“There is no place for knives on our streets and I would warn anyone who owns an item such as this to leave it at home.

“Referrals will be made for the owner of this item and we will be looking at further work around the issue."

“We would urge anybody with any information on persons carrying knives or offensive weapons in public to contact us on 101 or alternatively report it anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 “#StopKnifeCrime #NotOnOurStreets.”