POLICE have appealed to parents in a North-East town to help them stamp out a terrifying craze in which children shine laser pens at passing motorists.

It is feared the children, given the pens on key rings brought back as souvenirs from European holidays, may not realise how dangerous they can be.

Police issued their appeal after receiving reports that children were shining the laser pens on drivers as they passed through the Market Place, in Wolsingham, County Durham.

"We are very concerned that what may seem a game to the children should not be allowed to spread," said George Oliver, spokesman for Durham Police.

"There is no evidence that these pens cause blindness to motorists, but they can still be very dangerous."

Community PC Ian Craggs, who is investigating the incident, said: "We are very anxious to prevent any further cases like this.

"Children who have been given the pens or who may have bought them while on holiday, may treat them as a novelty, not realising how dangerous they can be.

"The advice we are giving to parents is to confiscate them - then destroy them."

Police were called in following an outbreak of youngsters shining the pens at motorists in east Durham two years ago.

So far, apart from the Wolsingham incident, they have received no further complaints from the public.

Very few stationers and printers throughout Britain will stock the two-inch pens, although they are widely available in holiday destinations such as Spain and Portugal.

Nicholas Deacon, Darlington manager of national printing suppliers Rymans, told The Northern Echo: "We do not stock them and we certainly would not sell them. They are very dangerous.

"The fact that they can be brought into this country from places like Spain as an innocent novelty on a key ring is extremely alarming."