Rough play at a Pembrokeshire playground is 'getting out of hand' with a new children's craze called ‘Join the Crew’, it has been claimed.

The game, which bears similarities to 'British Bulldog', is for one player to attempt to catch others as they run from one designated area to another.

When a child is caught, the captor uses force to ground them, and children are finding themselves being tackled, held in headlocks, strangled and punched.

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This week parents of children who attend the Hubberston Recreation Park near Milford Haven have said they fear that matters are now getting out of hand.

“Kids are being seriously hurt down there but our fear is that it’s ‘out of sight, out of mind’ as far as most parents are concerned,” commented one concerned parent who has asked not to be named.

“We were recently sent a video which showed three boys, around seven or eight years old, setting onto another little boy, hitting him to the floor and holding him in a grip around his neck.

“I know kids will be kids, but when older children start hurting the younger ones, it’s a step too far.

"Strangling is out of hand as it could lead to far more serious things, and this is why we want to nip it in the bud.”

Nine years ago an eight-year-old girl, Freya James, was killed as she played 'British Bulldog' in her school playground. She was hit to the ground and as a result sustained a ruptured liver.

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The game has subsequently been banned by many schools in the UK as a result of its violent nature, however no legal ban has been put in place.

Parents are now being asked to monitor their children closely whenever they play ‘Join the Crew’ in the Hubberston Recreation Ground to ensure that the game is played safely and the children don’t sustain serious injuries.

“Like a lot of things, it starts off as a game but then it escalates and gets out of hand,” added the concerned Hubberston parent.

“It’s got to the point where kids are getting way too rough with each other and children are getting seriously hurt. The other day a little boy had scratches all down his face.

“All we ask is for parents to speak to their children before they go to the park to warn them of the dangers and also keep on eye on the children’s behaviour whenever they’re in the park.

“Let’s try and nip it before it goes a step too far and someone gets seriously hurt.”