Parents and children have allegedly been cheating at an interactive game designed to encourage people to exercise.

Players walk, cycle, run, scoot or roll to collect points from Beat Boxes using fobs or cards. Schools and teams can win trophies, sports equipment and books.

But some participants have been accused of driving between boxes and swiping multiple cards and fobs to game the system and it's not the first time.

In 2018 the Adver reported concerns that some unscrupulous parents were using their cars.

More than 28,000 people in Swindon are taking part in the game which is designed to get families exercising together to improve their physical and mental health.

One player said she saw parents driving to the boxes while she was out walking. “It drives me crazy," she said. "Why people have to cheat I don’t know.”

Another woman said she saw a driver wait until they were out of view before sending their children out to tap the box.

“It’s annoying but then I think about the amount of fun we have and that’s what matters.”

A nine-year-old girl also called out cheating she saw when she was out collecting points with her grandad

Beat the Street Facebook and Twitter pages have issued warnings about cheating and have urged players “to keep the game fun and fair for all”.

Coun Brian Ford, the borough council’s cabinet member for adults and health, said: “If these reports are true, it is extremely disappointing, but it is not reflective of the behaviour of the majority of families.

“So far people have covered more than 162,000 miles which is a fantastic effort.

“We want people to use the game to become more physically active whether that be through walking, cycling or using their scooters. Cars are most certainly not an acceptable means of travelling between beat boxes.

“The game’s organisers have been very clear that they will disqualify individuals or teams who have cheated so I would encourage everyone to play by the rules.”

It is against the rules to use a car or motorised vehicle to drive between boxes and organisers wipe points from those suspected of cheating

Anyone who witnesses it should swipe their card on the same Beat Box and email team.swindon@beatthestreet.me with the box number, the time and their own card number.