British police are cracking down on the hacking of unprotected Wi-Fi networks, with two people cautioned by police for the practice.

Police in Redditch, Worcestershire cautioned a man last week who was spotted by locals inside a car using a laptop while parked outside a house. Another woman in the town was cautioned last month for the same offence.

PC Tony Humphreys, from West Mercia police, told The Guardian: " Wireless networks don't stop at the walls of your home.

"Without the necessary protection, neighbours or people in the road may be able to connect to your network. This might slow down your service or, more importantly, your connection could be used for unlawful purposes."

Gaining unauthorised access to a computer is an offence covered by the Computer Misuse Act.

In 2005 Gregory Straszkiewicz from Ealing was fined £500 and sentenced to 12 months' conditional discharge for hijacking a wireless broadband connection.