POLICE in Herefordshire have issued a warning about the use of ball bearing (BB) guns in public places - you could find yourself face to face with a police firearms unit.

The warning comes after an increasing number of incidents in which individuals - many of them teenagers - have been seen carrying and in some cases firing BB guns in Hereford city centre.

In recent weeks two BB guns were confiscated from teenagers after they were reported firing them inside an underpass and were then caught and challenged for their behaviour by police officers. Even more seriously, a 21-year-old male was arrested after two motorists reported having pellets fired at their vehicles on the city's ring road. One of the pellets struck a female moped rider on her helmet, fortunately without causing injury. The arrested man has been released on bail while enquiries continue.