Two pranksters who terrified members of the public when they drove around with what looked like a rifle sticking out of their car window have escaped a jail sentence.

Police were alerted after frightened pedestrians rang 999 fearing they were being shot at by a drive-by sniper.

Adam Cheal, 20, and Adam Hills, 21, were arrested by armed officers after their joke backfired.

Cheal, of Chanctonbury Road, Burgess Hill, and Hills, of Sycamore Drive, Burgess Hill, both admitted affray when they appeared at Hove Crown Court.

The court was told they toured the streets of Burgess Hill on the afternoon of June 26 in a red Ford Fiesta with part of a pressure washer hose poking out of the window, which looked like the barrel of a gun.

Hills was behind the wheel and repeatedly turned the engine on and off, forcing it to backfire and making it sound like a gunshot.

Police marksmen who rushed to the area found Hills sitting in his car and later arrested Cheal at his home.

Cheal was sentenced to 51 weeks in a young offenders’ institution suspended for two years. He must carry out 150 hours of community service and abide by a curfew six nights of the week for four months. He was also banned from driving for 18 months and must pay costs of £200.

Hills, who has a previous conviction for animal cruelty after he abandoned a sheep in a car park, was given a 40-week jail sentence suspended for two years and must carry out 80 hours of community service. He will pay £1,000 costs.