Ikea is warning people to stop sneaking into its stores for illegal sleepovers.

The trend is believed to have have been started by two teenagers in Belgium - who put a film of their adventures hiding in Ikea and staying there for the night online in the summer. At the time of writing it has almost 2.4 million views on YouTube.

A spokesperson for the company has warned that the experience is not as fun as it might sound:

"Maybe needless to say that the fun in it is overrated. [It is] A long night of sitting still, only to then risk getting into trouble with the law," a Swedish spokesperson from the company told the BBC.

A statement added that these 'sleepovers' are unacceptable.

"We appreciate that people are interested in Ikea and want to create fun experiences. However, the safety and security of our co-workers and customers is our highest priority and that's why we do not allow sleepovers in our stores."

A pair caught trying to hide in an outlet in Malmo, Sweden were reported to the police. 

The furniture chain says incidents have been recorded in the past year in locations including Belgium, the Netherlands, the US, UK, Canada, Sweden Australia, Japan, and Poland.

In 2015 Ikea banned games of hide and seek in the Netherlands after a Facebook event for a game in Amsterdam was signed up to by almost 20,000 people.  

The company operates almost 400 shops around the world - including two in Dublin.