POLICE have confirmed that a woman has admitted making a false report that she was sexually assaulted in Ilkley town centre last Saturday night.

Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Superintendent Simon Atkinson, said: "Reports of this nature are treated extremely seriously and are often managed by specialist teams trained to investigate the most serious crimes.

"People who make up crimes not only waste valuable police resources, they detract officers from helping genuine victims.

"False reporting could also delay our response to a real emergency and potentially puts people's lives at risk."

A West Yorkshire Police spokesman added that any further action against the complainant was now being considered.