A TEENAGER tried to set fire to another boy who was draped in toilet roll pretending to be a mummy.

A TEENAGER tried to set fire to another boy who was draped in toilet roll pretending to be a mummy.

A few youngsters, aged 10-12, were covering themselves with toilet roll as part of a game on Monday.

But the jest got out of hand when a 14-year-old from Axbridge set the paper on fire using a cigarette lighter.

The paper, which was wrapped around a 12-year-old boy, caught alight but was quickly put out by the youngsters.

Police officers and firefighters were called to the scene at 5.40pm, but nobody was injured.

Police community support officer Julie Lewis chased the youngsters and the culprit will now be helping the police to clean the graffiti in the town as a punishment for wasting police and firefighters’ time. His parents were also spoken to.

Police community support officer Julie Lewis said: “A couple of youngsters decided to dress themselves up as mummies and wrapped themselves in toilet roll. They were just messing around and having fun.

“Another child thought it would be a bit of fun to set fire to the paper as a bit of a prank. He put the fire out and then ran off down Moorland Street.

“Hopefully he’ll learn from this. It could have been a lot worse if the toilet roll had gone up. His punishment could have been much more serious.”

Paul Slaven from Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service said: “This could have been a very dangerous incident. Parents should make sure children are aware of the dangers of playing with matches and lighters and ensure they are kept out of reach.”