A Pokemon game predicted to be a summer craze poses a serious threat to youngsters’ safety, a children’s charity has warned, as reports of players being attacked, robbed and hospitalised are emerging from other countries.

Pokémon Go is a virtual reality smartphone game created by the inventors of Google Maps, which uses location technology to allow players to explore real sites through their smartphone cameras and “catch” virtual animated creatures which are superimposed on to their actual surroundings.

It reached cult status days after launching in the US and Australia, and is about to be released in the UK.