POLICE were called to guard an IKEA store after 3,000 teens planned to stage a huge game of hide and seek amongst its furniture.

A Facebook event titled 'Glasgow's biggest hide and seek' had been set up for the game, which was due to start at 3pm on Saturday at an outlet in Braehead, Glasgow.

3 Police were called to a branch of IKEA after 3,000 people planned a game of hide and seek in the store Credit: Getty - Contributor

3 The teens had planned to hide amongst the stores furniture Credit: Reuters

After hearing about the plans, the store contacted Scotland Police, who dispatched five officers, and drafted in extra security.

The afternoon saw a number of teens suspected of intending to take part in the game arrive at the store but being refused entry.

Others managed to enter, and began hiding in fridges and cupboards and under beds, but the game was quickly abandoned due to the police presence.

Police remained at the store until it closed at 8pm.

The Facebook event has now been deleted.

SAFETY FIRST

IKEA Glasgow store manager Rob Cooper told STV: "The safety of our customers and co-workers is always our highest priority.

"We were aware of an unofficial hide and seek Facebook event being organised to take place at our store and have been working with the local police for support.

"While we appreciate playing games in one of our stores may be appealing to some, we do not allow this kind of activity to take place to ensure we are offering a safe environment and relaxed shopping experience for our customers."

A trend for using IKEA stores as a venue for the popular children's game began after 500 people took part in a game in Beglium in 2014.

The chain initially allowed the games to go ahead, but was forced to impose a ban when the events and the number of people attending them began to grow.

It has also been forced to clamp down on so-called 24-hour challenges, which sees competitors attempt to hide in a store for an entire day.

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An Ikea spokesperson said of the challenges: “We appreciate that people want to create fun experiences with us, but we do not allow this kind of activity to take place in our stores.

“We are constantly reviewing our security procedures to better prevent these incidents from happening.”

3 The game had been scheduled to take place at an outlet in Braehead, Glasgow

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