Hastings RNLI and the coastguard were put on standby following reports that three girls were in the sea playing PokémonGo. They were fully clothed.

The emergency services were alerted after three girls were spotted hunting Pokémon monsters in the sea off Hastings Pier.

A member of the public contacted the police following concerns that the sea was “quite rough” and the girls were all fully clothed.

Officers paged the volunteer crew of the Hastings RNLI inshore lifeboat, along with the coastguard. Both teams were put on standby.

However, they were stood down after the police spoke to the girls and established they were playing PokémonGo, a mobile phone game.

A spokesperson for Sussex Police said: “The caller was concerned as the sea was quite rough and the girls appeared to be fully clothed.”

“Officers attended and established that the girls were looking for Pokémon. They were advised not to go into the water,” said the spokesperson.

Earlier this month, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency issued a warning after a group of young people took a boat without permission to hunt the virtual creatures.

The boat was later found abandoned in New Brighton marine lake.

Wirral Coastguard Rescue Team and the Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service were both called out in the early hours of the morning to respond to the incident.

This latest shout on 27 July has prompted Hastings RNLI to issue a reminder about the dangers of playing PokémonGo close to the water.

Speaking to the Hastings and St Leonards Observer, the coxswain of Hastings Lifeboat, Steve Warne, said: “We are asking people to please have a look at the RNLI Respect the Water Campaign.”

“It’s got lots of information about water safety and can be found on our Twitter and Facebook pages and the RNLI main website.”