The hoax call-out last week has prompted Skerries Coastguard to issue a stern safety warning about the flares, which, in the wrong hands, could lead to serious injuries or fatalities.

The marine rocket flares that were found following a search by the crew were Class 1 explosives designed to climb to a height of 1,000 feet in a matter of seconds.

If used incorrectly have the risk of causing serious harm or even death, the Coastguard has stated.

Skerries Coastguard was dispatched by the Irish Coastguard?s Rescue Co-ordination Centre to investigate reports of distress flares in the skies near Skerries on June 1st.

They immediately began a shoreline search of the area and quickly discovered that there were no vessels in need of emergency assistance.

But when volunteers spoke with people in the area, they discovered that the flares were in fact deployed inland, not at sea.

There was a large number of youths in the area at the time the flares were deployed but they fled a short time afterwards, a spokesperson stated.

Thanks to local witnesses, they found the location where these flares were let off at a site at public grassland, near Mill Hill in Skerries, and a detailed search of the grassland was undertaken with the assistance of local Gardai.

During this search, a large number of live marine distress flares were found abandoned in a nearby stream and were recovered by Skerries Coastguard for specialist disposal by the Army Ordnance Unit.