A Red Nose Day ‘prank’ gone wrong caused panic and a police manhunt in Norwich.

Commuters were alarmed to see a man wearing camouflage and carrying a rifle walking along the pavement in the Whitefriars area of Norwich shortly after 08:30 on Friday morning. A number of people captured photographs and videos of the man, with dozens of calls made to the police.

In response, armed officers, aided by a helicopter overhead, launched a manhunt to find the gunman and prevent what some feared could have been a terror attack.

However, when the police managed to track down the man, it was discovered that he was dressed up as a soldier with an imitation firearm to raise funds for charity as part in Red Nose Day 2015.

The man was given “strong words of advice” about the consequences of carrying imitation firearms on the streets, but no criminal offences were committed.

In a statement, Norfolk Police Chief Inspector Chris Spinks said:

“This is the second similar high profile incident which has taken place in the last month. We would like to remind people to think carefully about the consequences of carrying imitation weapons and of their general appearance, which, as in this case could be misconstrued by other members of the public.

“If the police receive reports of what is believed to be a weapon, openly displayed in public places we need to react promptly to the information that we are given at the time. Public safety will always be our priority when dealing with such incidents. Imitation weapons should not be used, or left, in public view.”