Police have issued a warning to shops to beware of selling baked beans to children following a rise of a bizarre TikTok trend.

It follows scenes of children filming themselves smearing baked beans on people’s driveways, homes, and vehicles and then uploading the videos to TikTok with the hashtag “#beanbandits”.

And police have now issued a warning to shops over the new trend, urging staff to look out for children buying large quantities of the tinned goods, while parents are being encouraged to check their cupboards.

Read more: Welsh holiday retreat bans people who have had a Covid vaccination

So what exactly is 'beaning'?

PCSO Michelle Owens, of West Yorkshire Police, said: "It has come to the attention of the police that a new trend has started by groups of youths called 'beaning'.

"This involves youths throwing the contents of a can of beans over properties, very similar to the trend of throwing eggs at properties.

"If you work in a shop please can you be aware of youths buying large quantities of cans of beans? If you have children living at home, please be mindful if you see them removing cans of beans from the family home."

Last month Surrey Police launched an appeal after the village of Wonersh was targeted in the trend. Youths targeted homes and cars in the area.

In one picture four empty cans can be seen discarded near a doorstep while another shows a grey car with sauce dribbling down the driver’s window.

To get the latest news from WalesOnline sent straight to your email inbox click here .