Careless children have been risking their lives for a new craze.

Young cyclists have been deliberately cycling towards cars in a game of ‘chicken’ and angering motorists by cycling dangerously on the road.

Bikers have been spotted pulling stunts and snaking down roads in groups, causing traffic in Abbots Langley and Kings Langley.

Following a discussion on a Facebook group for the village, Michelle Hamilton, from Abbots Langley, said on Facebook: "I saw cyclists playing chicken with cars in Horseshoe Lane one morning recently. You can imagine the amount of traffic at that time of day. 

"I was shocked that there wasn't an accident."

Sara Bedford, leader of Three Rivers County Council, said: “Police are well aware and have been visiting schools to educate them on road safety.

"It’s difficult to deal with pushbikes as obviously they don’t have registration plate and can get away via footpaths.”

One of the games that the children play is to see how long they can wheelie for down a road, often in pairs, making it impossible for cars to move around them.

However, some neighbours argue that it is just a bit of fun. Simon Hicks, from Kings Langley, said: “Let them learn their own lessons rather than lecturing them. We were all young once and we all did dangerous stuff, and when it went wrong we didn’t do it again.”