A teenager has been fined for wasting police time after falsely claiming he had been robbed at knifepoint.

More than 10 police officers, including a dog handler and a detective, were called to Baxendale Court, Newtown, after the 19-year-old man from Ashford made the hoax claim at 3.10am on Tuesday.

He had phoned the police alleging he had been robbed by someone with a knife and cash had been stolen.

Officers became suspicious when the so-called "victim" gave inconsistent accounts of what had happened.

He later admitted he had made up the whole allegation and had even self-harmed to make it look like he had been injured in the robbery.

After admitting making the false allegation and wasting police time, he was issued with an £80 fine.

Ashford district commander Ch Insp Phil Hibben said: "There can never be any excuse for wasting police time and diverting officers away from dealing with genuine calls for help.

"Whilst officers were investigating this incident, they were not available to attend other genuine calls from the public, potentially putting lives at risk.

"We will always take action against people who deliberately make false reports of crime."