A boy aged seven is thought to be responsible for shining a laser pen into the cockpit of an Airbus jet while playing in his garden.

The aircraft was flying at 11,000 feet, heading into land at Bristol Airport, when the incident happened as it flew over Calne at around 9.30pm on Sunday.

At the time of the incident, police described the shining of any form of powerful light in the direction of a flying aircraft as ‘foolish at best and fatal at worst’.

The following day, police recieved a report via their Facebook page of a driver having a laser pen shone at him while driving through Hilmarton, which led to house to house inquiries and the finding of the boy.

The boy and his distraught mother were given strong advice by police after which the device was surrendered and will be sent for destruction.

The youngster said he had been playing with the laser pen, which his parents had recently bought for him, in his garden.

The boy also said he would not have intentionally shone the device at an aircraft.

A Wiltshire Police spokesman said: “I would like to pass on my thanks to the member of the public who took the time to contact us with the information which led to this device being quickly located.

“I would urge parents that these devices are not toys and please do not purchase them for your children.”

As recently as June this year, police spoke to an 18-year-old male about the use of a laser pen after he was spotted by Calne Town Council’s CCTV team in Church Street.

There were also two incidents earlier in May 2014 where laser pens were shown into the eyes of drivers, one in the Blacklands area, past North Wiltshire Golf Club and the other at Mill Street.

In March, a Trowbridge man was fined by magistrates for shining a light at a Wiltshire Air Ambulance helicopter.