HEADTEACHERS across East Lancashire have banned Pokemon from their schools in a bid to protect their pupils.

And police have warned youngsters to keep their cards out of sight to avoid being robbed.

Japanese pocket monsters -- the £1billion Pokemon industry -- is the latest craze sweeping playgrounds, but cards and toys are having to be left at home because of confrontation in schools and the fear of theft and violence.

Youngsters have been robbed at knifepoint in Cheshire, Essex and Wiltshire for prized cards

And today Lancashire police issued a warning to youngsters to keep their Pokemon cards out of sight.

A spokesman said: "Children should not openly display items that others may seek to take from them. They should be encouraged to put cards into bags or inside pockets to reduce the risk of them becoming victims of crime."

The cartoon and computer game, which feature characters such as Pikachu and Diglett, have swept the nation since November, but cards and sticker books are now flying off shop shelves.

Packs of six cards cost £2.50 and to collect the cards bearing the 151 characters, both good and evil, will cost parents upwards of £10,000 because there are three different sets and certain cards are very rare.

But the craze is turning violent as youngsters across the country are robbed for prize cards, bearing such rare characters as Charizard, and fights are breaking out during swapping sessions.

Headteachers in Blackburn, Burnley, Rossendale and the Ribble Valley have issued the warning to pupils and parents: "Leave Pokemon at home". Margaret Donnelly, headteacher at St Joseph's RC Primary, Stacksteads, has banned Pokemon cards from her school.

She said: "They were being stolen and it's quite serious because they are expensive.

"Normally I don't like to ban these sort of things because I think it is an interactive and social thing and it's good for them to be positive about things."

Temptation proved too much for children at St James' CE School in Clitheroe, said headteacher Paul Adnitt.

"The cards were coming out at inappropriate times, so we banned them. There's more and more pressure to buy them, because they keep bringing out different sets.

"Some reception children brought them in, even though they didn't know what to do with them. It's expensive to buy the cards and we don't want to put temptation before pupils," he said. Kieran Heakin, headteacher at St John's Primary, in Burnley, said: "We banned them about two weeks ago. The problem is they start trading them and when they do that they can be bullied.

"They cause fights and struggles and distract them in school so that they can't get on with their work. Banning them is in the interest of everyone and the children don't mind at all now they know there is a rule."

Alan Mooney, headteacher at St James the Less, Rawtenstall, said: "We did allow them initially but we banned them because they were just getting out of hand.

"The children were using them at all the inappropriate times during school so it was easier to put a blanket ban on them rather than dealing with each class."

Ann Royle, headteacher at Holy Souls RC Primary School in Blackburn, said children played quite happily with Pokemon merchandise until recently, but they have been banned to avoid arguments and mixed up cards.