A video prank worthy of a Nike advert has landed students in hot water with police.
Students filmed one of their friends curling a football from a mound on a roundabout timed perfectly to land in the rear of a passing lorry.
However, the initial joy of making the shot has turned to misery for the pupils involved after police were called into their school.
The incident was filmed at the roundabout connecting Jane Murray Way and the A2300 in Burgess Hill just yards away from St Paul’s Catholic College.
It was uploaded to YouTube and Facebook on Wednesday and instantly became a hit with viewers.
However, one member of the public viewing the video complained to Sussex Police complaining the prank could cause a serious road traffic accident.
Local Police Community Support Officers then visited the school on Thursday and Friday to speak to the pupils involved while the video has also been removed from the web to deter copycat performances.
A Sussex Police spokeswoman said: “Police received an email on Wednesday from a concerned parent about a video that had been posted on Facebook showing a group of youths kicking a football from the grass mound by the Triangle and across the road.
“It landed in the back of a lorry but the member of the public was understandably concerned that this could have caused a serious accident if it had hit a moving vehicle.
“The youths involved in the incident were identified by name on Facebook and a police officer attended their school on Thursday to make enquiries.
“These are on-going and the officer returned to the school on Friday to speak to the youths involved about the potential danger of their actions. The video has subsequently been removed."
Rob Carter, headteacher at St Paul’s Catholic College, said: “We are proud of the high standards of behaviour and attitude shown by students at St Paul’s.
“We take any concerns raised with us seriously and always follow this up directly with our highly committed and supportive parents to enable students to make the right decisions as they gain independence in their lives.”
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