A British policeman put his colleagues on alert as he investigated a "suspicious bright light", only to find it was the Moon.

A local police magazine reported the hapless officer only realised his blunder after warning his fellow constables in Worcestershire, central England, that he might require back-up.

The magazine's Dogberry column revealed the constable called his sergeant to tell him he was going to investigate a suspicious light that he could see shining from the other side of a hill.

"The call was for safety reasons as he might need back-up once he found the source," the magazine said.

"Twenty minutes later, the PC called his sergeant back to reassure him that everything was OK and that he had found the source of the light.

"This diligent PC had in fact discovered the Moon."

AFP