Police called out over cosplayer's plastic sword

Police were called out to reports of an offensive weapon being carried in public that turned out to be a cosplayer comic fan's plastic sword.

Officers were deployed to Rayleigh railway station in Essex after a call from a concerned member of the public.

Spring Bank Holiday typically sees thousands of cosplayers heading to MCM Comic Con at ExCel London in the capital's docklands.

It was quickly apparent that the commuter was one of the 100,000 attendees, and the plastic sword was part of their costume.

Essex Police has asked cosplayers wielding realistic weapons to "keep it covered" when their props are realistic to avoid future misunderstandings.

The force requested that they "save the grand entrance for the venue" to avoid wasting police time and resources.

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