A 17-year-old who sparked a bomb scare at Newquay Airport last week has been issued a penalty notice for wasting police time.

The student, originally from Sussex, was about to board a flight with his family on December 28 at 2.30pm when the alert was raised.

He falsely implied he was carrying some kind of explosive device and was spoken to by airline security staff, the police said.

A Devon and Cornwall Police spokesperson added: "Any suspicion we have that a passenger may endanger an aircraft or its passengers is taken very seriously."

Travellers should be "well aware of their obligations" as passengers and will be "dealt with robustly" if they offend, the police warned.

Security staff closed roads around the airport for a short time after the bomb was called in, but the teen and his family were allowed on their way once police were "satisfied that they posed no risk to the public."

The 17-year-old was issued with an £80 fixed penalty notice.

All family members were forced to buy replacement tickets due to missing their earlier flight.