Don’t look for Pokémon on our construction sites builders warn
THE building giant behind The Shard has put up notices on construction sites warning Pokémon Go players not to enter in their obsessive pursuit of digital “virtual creatures”.
Construction firm Mace is so concerned about the risk of accidents involving the hit smartphone game that it has placed warning on site hoardings including “Wild Pokémon not permitted on this site” and “No playing Pokémon Go beyond this point”.
Dozens of instances of players trespassing on potentially dangerous sites have been recorded since Pokémon Go — a smartphone version of the Nintendo game that first became a craze in the Nineties — was launched last month.
Pokémon Go, which has already been downloaded more than 100 million times, involves players finding and catching “pocket monsters” in thousands of real world locations.
However, some of the interactive locations used in the game are now construction sites.
A tweet by one player said: “Tonight I got so lost playing Pokémon Go that I ended up in a restricted construction area and couldn’t find my way out.”
Contractor Bam — which was involved in the regeneration of King’s Cross — told Building magazine it has also posted warnings and notices on some of its sites to deter Pokémon Go players entering, adding “there is additional vigilance about Pokémon Go”.
Network Rail has emailed a warning to staff, highlighting “safety concerns” about the game being played close to live tracks and level crossings. Contractors’ trade body Build UK has also voiced its concerns, urging members to keep site boundaries secure.
Earlier this month it was reported that a relatively rare Pokémon creature called a Clefairy temporarily appeared on the Battersea Power Station site, although t h i s wa s d e n i e d by developer.
Niantic, the game’s developer, frequently alerts players not to trespass. A typical warning reads: “Do not enter dangerous areas while playing Pokémon Go.”
Last year there were 35 deaths and around 65,000 injuries on construction sites, according to the Health and Safety Executive.
It comes as Scotland Yard warned Pokémon Go players to be vigilant following a mini-crime spree affecting Londoners targeted by criminals while playing the game in public.
The alert was prompted by figures showing 11 crimes connected to the popular game in a period of just over the three weeks. They include several cases in which Pokémon players had their phones snatched by a moped rider.
The offences are on top of a more recent incident in which three robbers, one carrying a silver handgun, forced three teenagers playing Pokémon Go in Whittington Park in Islington to hand over their smartphones.
Steven George-Hilley, direc tor of technology at the Parliament Street think tank, which obtained the figures, said: “Unfortunately location-based augmented reality gaming often means users ignore personal security risks. These figures should serve as a wakeup call for consumers to remain vigilant when enjoying mobile games.”
Some 290 incidents were recorded by forces across England and Wales since Pokémon Go’s UK launch, according to data released to the BBC under the Freedom of Information Act.