A man from Bolton faked his own kidnap so he could stay out drinking and avoid going home to his girlfriend.

Last night, the 32-year-old arranged for someone to tell his partner that he had been kidnapped for ransom against a debt. The boyfriend then spoke directly to her, claiming he was being held against his will.

She called police, who launched a rescue operation - checking various addresses, trawling through CCTV camera footage, and tracing his phone signal.

Detectives arrested a man on suspicion of kidnap, before he revealed it was a "ruse" so the boyfriend could go to a party.

The supposed "victim" was eventually tracked to a party on the town's Shurmer Street in the early hours of this morning. He insisted it was a "wind-up". Officers arrested him, issuing an on-the-spot fine for wasting police time.