RESIDENTS are being warned of a phishing scam which uses police branding.

West Mercia Police say they they have been made aware of a phishing email that is using police branding to provoke responses.

The email says that the recipient is being summoned to court as a witness and asks them to follow a link, which could then lead to a virus or malware being placed on their computer.

A spokesman said: "It uses a police.uk heading and suggests it is from the CPS online portal, but is clearly not official and represents a risk to security.

"If any members of the public receive such an email they are advised not to click on any links and delete it from their accounts as soon as possible."