A give away of thousands of pounds worth of laptop computers in Southampton sparked a row after police intervened.
Officers said plans by phone company Carphone Warehouse to leave 50 laptops hidden around the city would have sparked a security risk.
The company had planned to leave the £500 computers in secret locations across city to be found and then kept by lucky passers-by.
But this morning as scores of shoppers turned out to search for the prizes the company were forced to scrap their plans.
Instead, the avoid a brush with the law, the firm resorted to just giving away the laptops to any passer-by.
The move sparked angry scenes among those who had turned out for the great laptop hunt.
Some said they had been searcheing bushes and underneath benches since the early hours of this morning.
Among them was Daniel Chamberlain, 20, from Southampton, who said: "I am absolutely disgusted. I've been searching all morning only to find that the laptops are not hidden. It's a joke"
But company area sales manager Angela Morris defended the give away.
"The promotion has still gone ahead and people have still been given free laptops," she said.
FOR MORE SEE TOMORROW'S DAILY ECHO
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