Can you spot the difference? A real gun compared to a BB

A warning has been issued around the dangers of carrying replica guns in public after a spate of scares in the West Midlands sparked by fake firearms.

People have been spotted with ball bearing (BB) guns or similar air-powered weapons in public.

Last month two men were handcuffed at gunpoint after a panicked member of the public reported seeing one of them enter an address in Bentley with a rifle and hearing shots fired. A search of their car uncovered an Airsoft replica rifle.