Police in Britain carried out a large scale search for a man who told his girlfriend had been kidnapped, but who was at a house party and sing the kidnapping cover to buy extra time.

The 32 year old told his girlfriend he had been kidnapped and was being held hostage, with the kidnappers demanding a ransom of £50.

Sky News reports that the man’s girlfriend was “beside herself” after speaking with the “kidnapper”. She called the police after the conversation and receiving several text messages.

When the woman told police her boyfriend was being held hostage police commenced a search involving more than a dozen officers, the studying of CCTV footage, analysis of mobile phone data and house-to-house enquiries. Unbeknownst to police, the man was at a house party in Bolton, enjoying the freedom afforded him by falsifying an imprisonment.

A man was arrested as the kidnapper but later released when he admitted to the scheme.

Detective Inspector Jo Clawson told Sky News: "The man's girlfriend was absolutely beside herself with worry and genuinely concerned that he would come to harm.

"Considerable resources and time then went into finding this man, who it transpires made the entire thing up so he could stay out and party.

"This is without doubt one of the most foolish and irresponsible incidents I have been involved in.

"Significant resources were taken off the front line on a Friday night, which is without exception one of the busiest times of the week."

The man was given a fixed penalty notice for wasting police time and will have the incident on his record as a criminal conviction.