It is not released in the UK but gamers have managed to download the app

NSPCC said it's 'worrying' game could be used by perverts to find

A popular mobile phone game due to launch in Britain may help paedophiles entrap children, safety campaigners have warned.

Pokemon Go uses your phone’s GPS and clock to detect where and when you are in the game and make the digital monsters 'appear' around you - on your phone screen - so you can catch them.

As you move around, different types of Pokémon will appear depending on where you are and what time it is - combining the game and the real world in what is known as 'augmented reality.'

But critics and security experts say the game may leave child players vulnerable to abusers who could hijack their phones and lure them to places where they can be attacked.

Child safety experts have issued a stark warning over the new Pokemon Go app as the craze reaches the UK - and lures players to a sex shop in Plymouth, Devon (pictured)

The craze has now hit the UK, even though the game has not yet been officially released here. Here are a group of students playing the game in Manchester

Squirtle is pictured appearing on the Alan Turing memorial statue in Manchester (left). Two other players try and track down Pokemon characters in the city (right)

A woman stands in the middle of Manchester as she plays on the game. Although it is not available in the UK, impatient gamers have found a way to download it on their phones

This picture shows Squirtle appearing in the middle of the Northern Quarter in Manchester

Some British users who have managed to download the app have already been directed to catch Pokemon at the rather sinister 'Private Shop' in Plymouth, Devon.

The shop is the latest danger zone to have appeared in the game after players were lured to a string of unsavoury sites around the world, including the headquarters of Hells Angels in New Zealand and a methadone clinic in Australia.

Bemused staff at the Plymouth shop - who have not given their consent for the shop to be used on the game - said today that players have already started coming into the sex store asking about Pokemon.

FROM THE SINISTER TO THE PLAIN BIZARRE: SOME OF THE QUESTIONABLE POKESTOPS FEATURED ON THE APP Australia: Ada Rose, a brothel and escort agency in Perth. The carpark at Maslin Beach in Adelaide, a nudist beach where gay men meet to have sex. The rear entrance to a methadone clinic in Sydney. Police in Darwin, Australia, have even asked players not to waltz into their station, which is a Pokestop in the game. Hells Angels headquarters for New Zealand’s Whanganui chapter. New Zealand: Clubhouse of the Hells Angels Whanganui chapter on the North Island. UK: A sex shop in Plymouth. MI5 and MI6, London. US: Club Z, a private gentlemen's club in Seattle which apparently offers a 'mirrored gloryhole maze'. Cheetah strip club in San Diego. Meanwhile the US Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington has had to ask smartphone users refrain from catching Pokemon when they are inside the museum. Several homeowners across the country who have converted old churches into houses have reported that they have found users congregating outside after the properties were made into Pokestops. Other users have reported being directed into graveyards and even to specific headstones in order to reach a Pokestop. Advertisement

The staff member said: 'I didn't know what they were talking about, as I'm not really into games.'

The bizarre anecdote could be just the tip of the iceberg, as creators plan to roll out the popular app in the UK.

The app was released last week in Australia, New Zealand and parts of the US, but is yet to be officially released in Britain.

But as the game continues to scale the App Store in countries abroad - attaining cult status in a matter of days - local gamers have found a way to download the game to their phones.

One of the biggest concerns is the 'lure' element of the game, which allows players to draw gamers to a specific area by indicating that a Pokemon is nearby.

Some fear that children - more focused on catching a Pokemon than listening to warnings over safety - could be entrapped by perverts dispensing the 'lure' beacons in secluded areas.

A spokesman for the NSPCC told MailOnline that the prospect of the game arriving in the UK was 'worrying'.

'Given its massive popularity with children it's worrying that this game appears susceptible to being hijacked by those who may wish to harm them,' they said.

'When creating these games companies must consider the potential risks to young users and do everything they can to make sure their app doesn't put them in danger.'

They added that manufacturers and parents should be aware of the safety and privacy implications before allowing children to play.

'Manufacturers can help protect children by giving them safety reminders about privacy and location controls and make it easy for them to report things that worry them,' they said.

'It is also important for parents to stay aware of what their children are using online and talk to them about how to stay safe.'

Morrissey, of Parents Outloud, added: ‘If robbers can hijack the game, who’s to say child abusers cannot do the same?

One of the biggest concerns is the 'lure' element of the game (shown above), which allows players to draw gamers to a specific area by indicating that a Pokemon is nearby

Others are also warning that the app - which 'lures' people to certain areas as they attempt to hunt down the monsters - could be used by paedophiles to trap distracted children. These pictures show the characters appearing in the street (left) and one someone's ash tray (right)

Pokemon Go, which has taken the US and Australia by storm, sees players hunt down digital monsters which appear on their phone in the real world, including supermarkets (pictured)

In this picture, one of the monsters has appeared between two bottles of spirit in someone's living room

‘I can see the attraction of this game to children. But companies need to be more responsible about issuing explicit warnings to parents about what can go wrong.

HOW TO GET THE APP IN BRITAIN Pokemon Go is not yet released in the UK but thousands of gamers are already finding a way to cheat the system. iPhone users can change their settings to make it appear as though they are in the US, where the app is available for download. That can be changed by going into Settings, then General, the Region, and changing the App Store country from the UK to the US. Users can then search for Pokemon Go in the App Store and download it. They will then have to sign out of the new Apple account and back into their old address. Gamers with Android phones can download the file contacining the game from various websites, before launching it as they would the official app. You can also set up a new Apple ID based in one of the country where the game is available, before confirming the account and using it to download the app. Neither method is endorsed by the creators although there are already several UK landmarks used as PokeGym or PokeStops. Advertisement

‘Producing a successful game should not come at the expense of our children.’

Fearful of how the app could be used, one woman in the US carried out an 'experiment', which saw her post a 'lure' to see how many people turned up.

Within moments, she said several children had arrived at the chosen spot - most without parents - having ignored their usual 'stranger danger' radar in pursuit of the monster.

'It occurs to me that someone could use this for nefarious purposes,' the user known as Robin wrote on Twitter.

'There's a sense of camaraderie that is built up around this game. The kid I just played with definitely lost his stranger danger sense.'

There are also concerns that opportunist thieves are using the same 'lure' technique to track down would-be victims.

Last week, just four days after the US release, four teenagers were charged with first-degree robbery and armed criminal action for allegedly using the game to commit robberies in Missouri.

Brett Miller, 17, Jamine Warner, 18, Shane Backer, 18, and a juvenile suspect, 16, were charged after 'luring' alleged victims to certain areas where police say they were then able to pounce.

Police said the teenagers 'baited' their victims with the promise of a Pokemon character before robbing them - reportedly at gunpoint.

People have reported seeing distracted players and cyclists wandering across roads without noticing oncoming traffic, because their eyes are glued to their phone screens

The characters appear on phone screens unexpectedly as the player is going about their daily life including in shops (left) and on footpaths (right)

THE POPULAR (AND DANGEROUS) APP TAKING THE WORLD BY STORM: THE RULES, ROUTES AND QUIRKS OF POKEMON GO The aim of Pokémon Go is to 'catch' virtual animated Pokémon which have been superimposed into real-world locations by using a smartphone. Players - known as Poketrainers - begin by choosing a starting character: either Bulbasaur, Charmeleon or Pikachu. They then travel between the real world and the virtual world of Pokémon to capture different creatures which hide in locations suited to their species. Pokemon Go allows players to flit between the real and virtual world to capture different creatures which appear on phone screens in a number of real-life locations (the map of the game is pictured above) When gamers come across a creature, they can throw a 'PokeBall' (shown left and right) in an attempt to capture the Pokémon. These pictures show the creature Squirtle appearing on the screen This means that if a Pokémon is a water species, like a 'magicarp' or 'squirtle', they will likely be found in locations where there is real water around. Other places the monsters might hide are grass, air, or other ground such as pavement. Some creatures are harder to find and capture than others. As users move around the virtual map - by literally walking through the real world - their smartphone will vibrate to let them know when a Pokémon is nearby. There are a number of Pokestops within the game, which are real-life landmarks where Pokemon often hide and where you can pick up more PokeBalls, or enhance your team of Pokemon. One of the spots in New Zealand worryingly came up as a Hells Angels Motorcycle club (pictured) Gamers can then throw a 'PokeBall' at the creature in an attempt to capture the Pokémon and add it to their collection. After players capture the creatures, they can then train their Pokemon and 'battle' them against other creatures at 'PokeGyms' - which are actual landmarks outside of your usual 'neighbourhood' where players congregate. British gamers who downloaded the game early were surprised to discover gyms at MI5 and MI6 in London. Users can also stop at different real-life local landmarks known as 'PokeStops', which is where many of the Pokemon appear and where players can stock up on more PokeBalls or enhance their Pokemon. Gamers can explore cities and towns around in their vicinity and around the globe to capture as many as 722 species of Pokémon. Advertisement

'The way we believe (the app) was used is you can add a beacon to a Pokestop to lure more players,' the O'Fallon Police Department wrote in a Facebook post.

Sergeant Bill Stringer said it was made possible because they are 'not aware of their surroundings because they're staring at their phones'.

'Using the geolocation feature, the robbers were able to anticipate the location and level of seclusion of unwitting victims,' he added.

The department also added a warning telling people 'not to alert strangers to your future location' if using the app or have children.

Another woman recently posted about her 'experiment', which saw her post a 'lure' and see who turned up. She said several children arrived at the spot without parents, ignoring 'stranger danger' radar

And things took a more terrifying turn when one US teenager stumbled across a corpse floating in a lake as she climbed over a fence to reach her desired spot.

Shayla Wiggins, 19, reportedly found the body in the town of Riverton, just days after the app was released. The local police said in a statement that the death appeared 'accidental in nature'.

Meanwhile the US Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington has had to ask smartphone users refrain from catching Pokemon when they are inside the museum.

LURING, INJURIES AND SINISTER DISCOVERIES: THE RISKS OF THE LATEST CRAZE TAKING THE WORLD BY STORM Luring A group of 11 youngsters were robbed in Missouri after criminals sent a 'lure' to a secluded area using a 'Pokéstop'. Fears are now building that the game could be used by paedophiles to lure children into remote areas. Injuries A number of players have reported injuring themselves while using the game. The main concerns involve children not looking as they cross the road and wandering away from their parents into hazardous locations. Gamers have reported stumbling, falling into ditches and spraining their ankles because they are not concentrating on their surroundings. Sinister discoveries In the US, the game led a teenager trying to catch Pokemon to a dead body in a river. Data breach Experts are warning that fake versions of the game are being used by criminals to steal people's data. Advertisement

Museum Communications Director Andrew Hollinger tells The Washington Post that officials are trying to reach game developers to get the museum removed as a prominent location in the popular new Pokemon Go smartphone game.

Like many other landmarks, the museum currently is a PokeStop within the game — a place where players can get free in-game items. Players can also stumble upon Pokemon while wandering the halls.

Hollinger says playing the game seems disrespectful, especially while visitors are inside the Hall of Remembrance.

Elsewhere, people have reported seeing distracted players wandering across roads without noticing oncoming traffic, while drivers have also been pulling over in dangerous spots to catch one of the sought-after creatures.

There have also been anecdotes of broken bones, dangerous driving and other serious injuries, as users follow the app with their eyes glued to their screens, unaware of their surroundings.

And, with many new apps, another cause for concern is the potential breach of data, with fraudsters using fake versions of the game to gain people's private details.

Pokemon Go - a virtual treasure hunt - allows players to catch characters in spots such as a living room, back gardens, supermarkets, police stations and schools.

Fans - known as Poketrainers - will start with either Bulbasaur, Charmeleon or Pikachu as their main monster, before walking around the real world and chasing the virtual characters as they appear in different locations on their phone screens.

Police in Darwin had to tell players not to turn up at the station, which was used as one of the 'Pokestops' - and to 'look up, away from your phone and both ways before crossing the street'

One Reddit user warned that they had ended up in hospital after falling down a ditch while playing the game

The creatures hide in locations suited to their species. A water species such as a 'magicarp' or 'squirtle' will likely be found in locations where there is real water around, while others might hide in grass or in the air.

THE MOST POPULAR GAME ON EARTH... AND SPACE? As the reach of Pokeman Go expands to all corners of the earth, players are beginning to wonder whether the game can be enjoyed in space. Meg tweeted NASA to ask: 'is there a #PokemonGo gym on the moon and if so, can you confirm for me what team has claimed it? Please and thanks.' But NASA told the Verge it was not possible for the astronauts to play the game. A spokesman said: 'While there is a small number of smartphones available on the space station, the crew uses them for science activities, but not for personal use. 'The smartphones and other mobile devices on station (tablets) also do not have internet connectivity.' However, the Pokemon creatures have been spotted at NASA's Saturn V rockets at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. Advertisement

As users move around the virtual map their smartphone will vibrate to let them know when a Pokémon is nearby.

Gamers can then throw a 'PokeBall' at it in an attempt to capture the Pokémon and add it to their collection.

After players capture the creatures, they can then train their Pokemon on their phones and 'battle' them against other creatures at 'gyms'.

They can all stop at different real-life local landmarks known as 'PokeStops', which is where most Pokemon appear and where players can stock up on PokeBalls.

But the danger arises when the characters run away from their would-be captor - meaning users end up chasing the creatures through parks, roads and fields, often with their eyes glued to their screens.

Developers issued safety warnings about the game, urging players to keep an eye on their surroundings as they play the game.

But, within just a few days, there were numerous reports of people tripping, stumbling and hurting themselves as they failed to spot obstacles.

In one reported incident, Kyrie Tompkins fell on the pavement and twisted her ankle as she was wandering near her home in Maine, US.

On Reddit, one user revealed how the game had 'put me in the ER last night'.

One Twitter user revealed that people had been turning up at his house to capture the creatures because his home used to be an old church

'GOD REALLY DOES WORK IN MYSTERIOUS WAYS': THE CHURCH IN BIRMINGHAM WHICH UNEXPECTEDLY BECAME PART OF POKEMON GO Reverend Dr Paul Beetham and church steward David Hallam from The City Road Methodist church in Edgbaston, Birmingham, which has been listed as a PokeStop in Pokemon Go

The global phenomenon of Pokemon Go would have probably passed by parishioners at Birmingham's City Road Methodist Church - until one avid gamer turned up on their doorstep. It was only when churchgoers asked the man, in his 30s and sitting hunched on the front steps gazing at his phone, if he was OK that he told them the church was a Poke-Stop - a key location in the game. In the augmented reality game Pokemon Go, developed by Niantic and The Pokemon Company, players travel around the real world to capture and train creatures known as Pokemon - the most famous of which is Pikachu. The church, designated as one of the game's special Poke Gyms, has since had a steady stream of people turning up in cars playing the game. In response, perplexed parishioners have been offering tea and biscuits to all visitors. They have also put up posters next to signs advertising its 11am Sunday services which read 'Pokemon Go Gym, you are welcome - Jesus Cares About Pokemon Gamers'. Church warden David Hallam, standing in the cavernous hall which usually echoes to the sound of the gospel and not cartoonish Pokemon, said: 'God does work in mysterious ways'. He said the church more often welcomed the homeless with a warm cup of tea, a hot shower and a roof above their heads, but was now preparing to become a gaming landmark. Mr Hallam said it was an opportunity not to be missed and believes the location could be the UK's first identified Poke-Stop for the free-to-play gaming hit. He added the congregation was now 'really quite excited' at the prospect of people visiting the church and said the doors would be open to all, no matter what. Mr Hallam said: 'The game hasn't even been launched yet and we've already had people ringing up, asking where we're located, what time we're opening, cars stopping outside, sitting there playing the game. 'On Sunday morning we came here and we had somebody sitting on the doorstep for two hours. The church has put up posters next to signs advertising its 11am Sunday services which read 'Pokemon Go Gym, you are welcome - Jesus Cares About Pokemon Gamers' (pictured) 'We couldn't coax him into the church, we said 'come and have a cup of tea, come and worship with us', but he was too busy and he said 'you don't know what's going on in there (the church) at the moment'. It was only when Mr Hallam and minister the Rev Dr Paul Beetham Googled the game that they realised they were set to be caught up in a worldwide phenomenon. Mr Hallam added: 'So, we're going to have young people - we beg young people to come to church - and now they're going to start coming to church. 'We're really quite excited. 'We've put a notice outside acknowledging the fact we're a Poke Stop, we're a Poke Gym and we know what you're here for. 'And then we'll see what happens, see if there's any needs, see if we can build up and show the love of Jesus to them in some way. 'We don't want to thrust it down their throat but we want to know they've come to a place of Christian worship and they'll be welcome and hope that they do worship with us at some point.' Mr Hallam said it was 'a great opportunity' to spread a Christian message to people who might not usually walk through the doors of a church. He added: 'We're delighted to be the first identified Poke-Stop in the UK. 'But what we're saying is Jesus cares for Pokemon gamers.' Advertisement

'Not even 30 minutes after the release last night, I slipped and fell down a ditch. Fractured the fifth metatarsal bone in my foot, 6-8 weeks for recovery. I told all the doctors I was walking my dog lol... Watch where you're going, folks,' the post read.

Several pictures also emerged on social media which show people chasing creatures in all sorts of dangerous situations, including while driving.

Police in Australia also felt compelled to warn residents about the dangers of the game, as people turned up in their droves to Darwin Police Station, one of the 'Pokestops'.

They wrote: 'Please be advised that you don't actually have to step inside in order to gain the pokeballs.

Although there is much appetite for the game in the UK, those behind the app have not yet revealed the release date. Developers plan to roll it out across South America, Europe and Canada

'It's also a good idea to look up, away from your phone and both ways before crossing the street. That Sandshrew isn't going anywhere fast.'

Another user, Boon Sheridan, revealed on Twitter how his home was besieged by game-playing strangers because the building - a renovated church - featured as a PokeGym in the game, without his knowledge or consent.

Mr Sheridan, who lives in Massachusetts, said he woke up one morning to find a crowd of strangers lurking on the pavement outside his house in a fragmented group.

GROUP OF CHILDREN SPOT WOMAN DROWNING IN POND AS THEY PLAY POKEMON GO A group of children playing Pokemon Go were shocked when they spotted a woman drowning in a pond. The group of five were walking around the town of Baarn in the Netherlands when they decided to go to a nearby pond to catch one of the creatures. He was at the pond with his friends, when 16-year old Wessel shouted that he had found a woman in the water. 'She was still alive when we found her,' Jip told local media. 'She was lying in the water with a walking frame, there was blood on her face'. While Wessel tried to keep the woman's head above the water, Jip and his friend Lucas ran to a nearby retirement home while calling the emergency services. The quick acting group of boys sadly got there too late for the elderly woman who died a short while later. The police suspects she committed suicide in the pond. The five boys were obviously shocked, but seemed quick to divert their attention back to the viral game. Jip said: 'It was quite a heavy sight to see, but I do not think it will cause me a trauma. 'It was actually a pity too for Lucas, as he had just caught a Pokemon but had to close the app to call the emergency services.' Advertisement

'Have you ever seen people standing near each other, but it's clear they're not with each other? That was exactly what was happening,' he told The Atlantic.

The story raises questions about where the geographical data is coming from. The game has no mention of the mapping data source and has thrown up some rather bizarre locations in the first week.

One gamer tweeted a picture of him catching the character known as Pidgey in a hospital room where his wife was giving birth.

Another captured the blue turtle Squirtle when it as standing on top of a coffin in a church.

Although there is much appetite for the game in the UK, Niantic Inc - a spin-off of Google parent company Alphabet Inc - has not yet given a date for when the app will be rolled out in Europe, South America and Canada.

John Hanke, boss of Niantic, has hinted that any imminent release has been 'paused' while they try and 'smooth over' download issues which affected the release in the US.

The mobile title has been so popular in the places where it's already playable that the servers that make it work have been crashing.

Because of this, Mr Hanke said the roll-out to the UK would be 'paused until they're comfortable'.

Unable to wait for the official release, some people in the UK have managed to change their Apple ID on their phone to be linked to the US, which then allows them to download the app.

That method has not been publicly endorsed by creators and the firm behind the game, Nientic Lab, states that players are not allowed to use 'any unauthorised third-party software' or 'attempt to circumvent any restriction in any service'.

Pokemon was originally a video and trading card game that was hugely popular in the Nineties. It encouraged children to collect fictional characters such as Pikachu, Jigglypuff and Charizard, and train them to battle each other.

The game also sparked a TV show and several films. Pokemon Go’s ability to blend the real and digital worlds is proving an even greater hit.