Robberies and sexual favours: Police record hundreds of Pokemon Go-related incidents across England and Wales

Pokemon Go has sparked a crimewave after hundreds of incidents were logged by the police across England and Wales last month.

Police forces recorded 290 incidents during July, which included robberies, assaults, thefts and driving offences, the BBC has reported.

Of the 29 forces that responded to the BBC’s Freedom of Information request, Lancashire Constabulary recorded the highest number of incidents related to Pokémon Go with 39. The majority of other forces did not specify how many arrests had been made.

From fights and trespassing on private property to phone snatching and assaults, the app has whipped the general public up into a frenzy.

One of the most common forms of crime involved thieves setting up "lures" within the game in an attempt to draw players to a specified location before snatching their phones - with both Greater Manchester Police and the Met forces reporting the crime.

A man in north Wales tried to entice children into his home by promising them “lots of Pokemon at his address”, and 30 people ended up in a massive fight after a Pokemon hunt turned nasty, Surrey Police said.

Drivers continuing to play Pokemon Go from behind the wheel was another frequently-logged report, after officers in Surrey found nine cars "parked across a junction", and police in Devon were called following claims a driver was driving down one-way streets and "stopping in the middle of the road playing Pokemon".

In a bizarre twist, West Midlands Police logged an incident linked to someone being “offered sexual favours”, though it is unclear what that actually means.

A spokesman for Lancashire Constabulary told the BBC people should avoid “potentially dangerous locations that could make you vulnerable to injury or become a victim of crime”.

"Never enter any body of water. Pokemon do not appear beyond the safety of the shoreline. And don't enter derelict structures, unlit footpaths or alleyways."

Last month South Yorkshire police were called after a group of Pokemon Go players witnessed an alleged theft in Doncaster.

The first death linked to the app was reported when 18-year-old Jerson Lopez de Leon from Guatemala was shot dead after breaking into a house with his cousin while playing Pokemon Go.

Local reports claimed Leon was shot dead, while Daniel Moises Picen, his 17-year-old relative, was badly wounded.