PARENTS have been issued a warning following reports of children laying down in the middle of roads as part of a social media craze.

Reports of the dangerous ‘game’ in the Barrow and Walney area have been circulating, which has led to many concerned parents sharing posts highlighting the problem.

Girls aged around nine or 10 lying were spotted on Ocean Road near Tesco recently. And a similar aged boy was seen lying in the middle of Black Butts Lane on the junction with Ocean Road.

One owner of a Barrow creche has spoken out about the issue saying that parents needed to be aware of this issue.

John Eccles, manager of Busy Kids Creche in Barrow, said: “We have been made aware of a new and dangerous craze where children are deliberately lying on the road in front of traffic.

“Please don’t play with traffic and please talk to your children about road safety.

“None of the children we have cared for have been doing it. But I just wanted to make parents aware of this issue as there have been a couple of reported incidents on Barrow and Walney.

“I believe it is one of those social media trends that has come from TikTok.

“This is just dangerous behaviour isn’t it. “I shared a post online and it has been shared hundreds of times which is great to see as we can get the message out there.

“It is just dangerous, and bizarre considering we have just come out of ‘Road Safety Awareness Week’.”

It was only two weeks ago when Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service and Cumbria Constabulary joined together to support National Road Safety Week, alongside other emergency services throughout the country.

They worked with multiple schools across the county to raise awareness of issues such as inappropriate parking and the dangers of crossing roads without care. Officers were encouraging children to take safety precautions, such as ensuring they use appropriate crossing points.