A 23-year-old man arrested on suspicion of endangering an aircraft by shining a laser into the cockpit of the police helicopter has been bailed pending further police investigations.

Officers arrested the man in Keighley after the force’s X99 helicopter (pictured) was apparently targeted by someone beaming a laser at it while they were investigating reports of a break-in.

The helicopter had been scrambled after a member of the public reported two known criminals acting suspiciously in the car park at Keighley railway station, Bradford Road, and later at a nearby mill complex on Thursday night. However, no crimes are believed to have been committed.

The 23-year-old Keighley man was held for questioning and later released on bail, a West Yorkshire Police spokesman said.

MPs have made fresh calls for an investigation into the availability and “potentially dangerous” use of laser pens following the latest incident, which happened shortly after 8.30pm on Thursday. Keighley MP Kris Hopkins questioned whether the Government should consider regulating who can buy lasers – including laser pens – and calling for tougher penalties for those who shine them at aircraft.

“Time is certainly of the essence, because I have little doubt that there is an accident waiting to happen,” he said.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) reported a “phenomenal growth” in reports of laser incidents in the UK from just three in 2008 to 1,909 last year.

A spokesman said pilots could be temporarily blinded by lasers, posing a serious risk to passengers, crew and people on the ground.

Mr Hopkins has written to Transport Secretary Justine Greening, highlighting his concerns.

He said: “I have witnessed young people in possession of laser pens in and around the centre of Keighley since the beginning of the year.

“I am also aware of a significant number of incidents at Leeds-Bradford Airport in recent times where pilots taking off and landing have been targeted by mindless idiots wielding these potentially very dangerous devices.”

Leeds North West Liberal Democrat MP Greg Mulholland backed a campaign for a specific law to be brought in to make it a criminal offence to shine a laser into an aircraft cockpit, which was introduced last year.

The CAA said laser pens could cause a distraction to pilots up to 11 miles away.