The ever-growing community of Pokémon Go players are warning one another to stay safe after a teenager was robbed and assaulted near one of the game’s hot spots.

Police and ambulance crews were called to Ordnance Road in Gravesend at around 7.20pm on Wednesday July 27, not far from the town’s promenade.

Gravesend Promenade is one of the game’s many PokéStops, where players are encouraged to go in order to catch some its rarest virtual creatures.

Many players use the Gravesend Pokémon Go UK Facebook group to share their best finds and are urging caution when out playing the game alone.

Dan Elcombe, 28, said: “I planned to stop by on that day after seeing my girlfriend at about 11pm and had it [the incident] not happened I would have gone down there without a thought.

“My best advice is to simply use common sense. If there are loads of unknown people around, be vigilant if you are being drawn to somewhere you are unfamiliar, look up from your phone and survey the area.”

"If there are loads of unknown people around, be vigilant if you are being drawn to somewhere you are unfamiliar, look up from your phone and survey the area” - Dan Elcombe

Reira Alice Granger, 22, from Gravesend, added: “People should just stick to areas you know are well lit and populated — it helps me feel safer.”

Another Gravesend player, Rachel Girvan, said the nature of the game can make it difficult to focus on your surroundings.

"Lots of people who wouldn't usually walk around with their phone screen watching YouTube or texting are doing that exact thing with Pokémon.

"The game is very distracting; having to have the screen on constantly, holding your phone, and having to look down to check what Pokémon are there or where the nearest PokéStop is. It can be easy to get absorbed forget to check around you."

Gravesham council is also warning people to stay safe when out and about playing in the borough's open spaces.

The council's director of communities, Melanie Norris, said: “We don’t want to discourage people from visiting our lovely parks and engaging with their community through apps and gaming but we do want to reinforce the message that we want people to stay safe and keep their environment clean and tidy.

“We have noticed an increase in the amount of people using our parks, particularly in the evenings over the last few weeks, so the messages we’re trying to get out are important in making sure there is no litter and other park users, who are not playing the game, can enjoy it too.”

"We want people to stay safe and keep their environment clean and tidy" Melanie Norris

The NSPCC had encouraged the game’s developers to implement some safety features before the app was released in the UK.

Last week an update added safety warnings to the game, which pop up each time it’s launched.

The victim of the reported incident in Ordnance Road, thought to be 18 years old, suffered head injuries and was taken to Darent Valley Hospital.

Two men, aged 25 and 18, and three boys, aged 17, 17 and 16, were arrested in connection with the incident and bailed until September 26 and August 12 respectively.