Booby trap youths cautioned

Police have cautioned four youths who put motorcyclists' lives in danger by stringing twine across a road.

The boys, aged 11, 12, 14 and 15 admitted placing objects such as logs and an iron bar in several roads in Eythorne village, near Dover.

Motorists and bikers were told to beware in July after orange string was twice found fixed across Coldred Road at the height of a motorcycle.

The youths, who were identified as the culprits following an appeal in the media by Kent Police, have been formally cautioned.

'Silly prank'

Officers said the booby traps - which included a five-foot metal spike wedged in a drain - could have killed motorists.

Pc Sue Clarke, of Kent Police, said: "When the boys were questioned they each showed a great level of remorse for their actions.

"They now realise that it was a silly prank that could have proved fatal and they are sorry for what they have done."

She praised the Eythorne community for taking a stand against crime in identifying the youths responsible.

Under the Highways Act it is an offence to place a rope, wire or other apparatus across a highway in such a manner likely to cause a danger.