A 40-year-old man found tied up in a caravan in Silsden has been fined after he claimed to have been abducted.

The man was given an £80 fixed penalty notice for disorder by West Yorkshire Police.

He falsely claimed he had been abducted and that his car and mobile phone had been stolen.

The man, who was initially reported to police as missing, made the claims after he was found by police with his hands and legs tied up.

He was found in a caravan the day after he went missing.

He was interviewed by a detective who found several discrepancies in his account and the man eventually admitted he had never been abducted or that his vehicle and mobile phone had been stolen. He was advised about his future conduct and given the £80 fine which must be paid within 28 days.

Det Insp Mark Long, of Airedale and North Bradford CID, said: “This type of false report cannot be treated lightly and offenders must be dealt with positively. We treat every allegation seriously and the time spent investigating it soon reveals the truth.

“It also means that a genuine victim may suffer while we are dealing with a false report. Fixed penalty fines are a reasonable way of deterring further false reports being made. It was clear from the start that there were concerns about the validity of this man’s allegations.

He was given every opportunity to tell the truth but he was insistent of sticking to his original story.

“His allegations have tied up a lot of police time and resources. Anyone who makes false reports will be dealt with positively.”