A "foolish" prankster put people’s lives at risk when he phoned 999 to make two hoax reports of fires in High Wycombe, emergency services said after his conviction last week.

Iftikhar Aslam, 21, of Chiltern Avenue in High Wycombe, pleaded guilty to two counts of giving a false alarm of fire to a person acting on behalf of a fire and rescue authority.

On July 12, Aslam made calls to Bucks Fire and Rescue Service giving false names from different phone numbers.

In these calls, Aslam claimed that there was a house fire in Rutland Avenue, High Wycombe, and that the road was blocked.

Bucks Fire and Rescue Service dispatched two fire engines to the scene but confirmed that there was no fire at the address and that the call had been a hoax.

Despite the false names and non-registered phone numbers, High Wycombe police were able to identify the suspect and he was arrested shortly afterwards.

Karen Lock, from Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: "Emergency services and courts take a very dim view of this type of behaviour.

Hoax calls can cost lives, and this highlights what can happen to the individuals who make them."

Aslam was charged on August 18 and pleaded guilty at High Wycombe Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, December 9.

He was sentenced to a 12 month supervision order and ordered to pay £145 costs.

Sergeant Darren Mitchell, from the Wycombe West Neighbourhood policing team, said: "Making hoax calls to the emergency services is an extremely foolish thing to do.

"The fire engines that were sent to answer Aslam’s calls could have been needed elsewhere and by directing resources away from real emergencies he created a risk to the community.

"I am pleased to see that he has pleaded guilty to these charges and been given a suitable sentence which I hope will deter him from repeating this offence in the future."