Pokemon Go: Player claims to have caught all UK characters

Could this mark the beginning of the end for Pokemon Go?

A man has claimed to have become the first to catch all the characters available in the UK.

Sam Clark posted an online video showing he had caught 143 virtual characters when playing the game around Southampton and Gosport.

The 33-year-old said he has spent "pretty much every waking hour" on the app since it was launched on 6 July.

Mr Clark said he had lost more than two stone in weight during the process and claimed his final catch was a Lapras found "round the back of Primark".

The online augmented reality game - which is attracting millions of players - involves finding virtual Pokemon characters in real locations across the world.

Mr Clark said he completed the collection of all the 142 characters available in the UK, as well as a Tauros, - exclusive to the US, but which he had succeeded in hatching from an egg.

He said he is "pretty damn sure" he is the first UK player to reach the level, and has not heard of anyone making a claim to have got there first.

A Brooklyn-based collector, Nick Johnson, was reported as completing the set in the US.

Mr Clark, a phone repair engineer and lifelong gaming enthusiast, said he had spent hours walking around Southampton's city centre parks to try to track down the creatures.

He also said Town Quay, where he caught a Gyarados, seemed to be a "hotspot" in the city.

Mr Clark set up the Cyberjam Gaming group with other gaming enthusiasts and said more than 200 people had recently attended a Pokemon Go meet-up they had organised.

"This is the game I've waited for for 20 years. It's taken this long for the technology to catch up.

"It brings people together - there is no competition, everyone is just chuffed if you catch them. It's unreal - when you are in the park you can tell who is looking for them and everyone smiles and waves," he added.