British cops warn girl, 10, her chalk hopscotch grid on the pavement outside her home is criminal damage

A schoolgirl was told off by police for drawing a hopscotch grid on the pavement, according to her father.

Officers even warned the 10-year-old she might have committed criminal damage as she played the traditional game outside her house in Ramsgate, Kent.

Lilly Allen had marked out a grid in chalk - which washes away in the rain - when she was apparently approached by two officers.

'Two policemen in a car drove up to her and said it was illegal to draw on the floor as it was criminal damage,' her father Bob told The Sun. 'I am absolutely seething they have done this.'

After posting evidence of the incident on his Facebook page, Mr Allen, 51, joked: 'I call her Banksy now.'

The angry father has lodged a complaint with Kent Police about their heavy-handed behaviour.

Authorities are now investigating the incident, and admit that the officers may have gone too far when they accused Lilly of committing a crime.

A police spokesman said: 'We are trying to trace the officers who are reported to have made this comment. 'From the circumstances described, it would not appear to have been necessary to advise the young girl that chalking a hopscotch grid may be criminal damage and illegal.'

The traditional children's game of hopscotch is unlikely to be wiped out by officious policemen any time soon.

The game, in which children hop from box to box in a set pattern, has been played for centuries.

Many school playgrounds have hopscotch grids built in, but children can also draw a grid in chalk with ease.

Original report here




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