Pokemon is a '˜no go' after dark say National Trust bosses

National Trust workers have placed new signs in the Marsden area due to the increased number of youngsters playing the virtual reality game which sees players hunting for cartoon characters on their mobile phones.

They are also warning people not to play the game in the dark after a 20-year-old man injured his ankle when he fell at Trow Rocks in South Shields on Tuesday night.

The injured man, who had all three emergency services plus South Shields Volunteer Life Brigade attend to him, said he stumbled on cliff steps as the area wasn’t very well illuminated.

However, Trust bosses for Souter Lighthouse and The Leas are urging children, and adults, not to stray away from the paths.

A spokesman said: “We’ve seen many visitors joining in the Pokémon Go craze at Souter Lighthouse and The Leas. It’s always good to see people outside and enjoying themselves.

“We hope gamers who come to the coast will also take the chance to enjoy the real world beauty of their surroundings.

“It’s very important to take care too, particularly close to cliff edges. We wouldn’t recommend hunting Pokemon on the coast after dark and strongly advise that gamers stick to paths and don’t cross safety barriers.”

There was already signs placed on barriers along the clifftops, along with helpful numbers for people to call if they were feeling depressed.

But since the game’s launch last month, certain spots, including the Marsden Grotto area, have become very popular due to the number of virtual characters which can be caught there.

The National Trust spokesman added: “Our rangers have added some new safety signs at key points along the cliff tops.

“These were installed north of Marsden Grotto in July in addition to existing signs, following reports that children were playing Pokemon Go close to the cliff edge at that spot.”