set them off on land.

Both flares were fired over Warwick on Monday night. And one crash-landed in a woman's back garden.

The incidents led Marine Police on a "wild goose chase'' to look for boats in distress at about 9 p.m., a Harbour Radio spokesman said.

And a Police spokeswoman added: "Those residents who engage in such hoaxes should be aware that it is an offence and that they could be liable for prosecution before the courts.

"Such pranks also waste a considerable amount of Police time and should be stopped.'' The Harbour Radio officer added: "We had several reports of red flares over the Warwick area last night and they were positively identified as marine distress flares.

"Marine Police were on patrol in Hamilton and they also saw the flares, which appeared to come from over land.

"We issued a broadcast in case a vessel really was in distress and it was only later that we got a call from a lady in Bulkhead Drive, saying a flare had landed in her back garden.

"The Police also had to mount a search which, in the end, was a wild goose chase.

"Firstly, flares are like fireworks and can be dangerous in the wrong hands.

But if they are used incorrectly, they also cause a waste of important Police resources.

"Marine Police did a search around the harbour when they could have been better deployed.'' He appealed to boat owners to conduct regular checks on their safety equipment, and to report any thefts immediately.