SWINDON has gone Pokemon potty with players hunting down characters all over the town.

The augmented reality game has taken the whole country by storm with talk about JigglyPuffs, Venemoths and Poliwhirls dominating social media.

Royal Wootton Bassett Police caught themselves a Pickachu and locked it up, prompting hilarity on their Facebook page.

The toy actually belonged to PCSO Andy Singfield’s daughter.

Players set up their own Pokemon Go Swindon Facebook groups, offering advice and tips on where to find Pokestops and different characters. One set up on July 9 had 132 members by yesterday, another had 677.

While some expressed concern about the game, including the NSPCC which had wanted reassurance from the makers that the app’s geolocation feature could not be used to target children, others were delighted with it.

Nurse Pen Clark said: “ I think it's absolutely brilliant. My son has Aspergers and has problems in social situations etc. This has got him out of the house, encouraging him to go where people are with confidence and getting a lot more exercise. It's made me as his mum feel so happy to see him out and about.”

The app, launched this week, is an augmented reality version of the children’s game that was popular in the 1990s and makes use of the GPS and camera of compatible devices.

It features virtual characters that appear out in the real world and can be caught and trained to battle others.It has already led to several mishaps. A group of teenagers got lost in caves between Box and Corsham while looking for Pokemon and over in America, two men fell off a cliff while trying to catch them.

In Swindon Pokestops were set up around the town launching lures to attract them.

The town centre, Coate Water and the Outlet Village all proved popular hunting grounds. One even appeared on a player’s hospital bed.

One of the locations emitting a Pokestop was Desk Cowork. Founder Matt Greenwood said. “Pokémon Go is a highly impressive way of showcasing the potential of augmented reality.

"It may seem trivial to some, but our techy members have really embraced the simple way of getting people using the technology and it’s quickly becoming an office favourite.

"In September we’re hosting Swindon Tech Summit of which VR and AR will be a big part.”

Desk member Ben Kidd, of Curiscope, a company that creates AR and VR experiences said: “Curiosity fuels our learning and our discovery.

"It's what drives learning beyond the classroom - beyond the nostalgic and novel appeal of Pokémon Go, it’s a powerful wake-up to the potential for AR in helping children discover and learn in a way they find exciting.”