Boy bailed after laser is shone at police helicopter

A 17-year-old boy has been bailed after a laser beam was shone at a police helicopter flying over Maidenhead on Tuesday last week.

Police arrested two people in the town centre area on suspicion of endangering the safety of an aircraft at about 1am after the crew flying the helicopter reported the incident to officers on the ground.

The laser was also tracked down and seized.

The 17-year-old has been bailed until Tuesday, September 10, while the other male arrested was released without charge.

Last year, the Advertiser reported on warnings from the Civil Aviation Authority after a rise in the number of reports of pilots being blinded by laser beams while landing or taking off at Heathrow, but a spokesman for Thames Valley Police said this was the first incident of a similar nature that he had heard of in 'a long time' in the area.