Lives are at risk from a dangerous game children are playing while walking to and from school, it is warned.

Some pupils have been seen pushing each other into the path of oncoming traffic in scenes one motorist described as "completely moronic".

Headteachers have been made aware and have written to parents while police are emphasising the road safety message to keep children out of danger.

One driver raised the issue regarding children walking along Chickerell Road on the way to Budmouth Academy, but the behaviour has been observed in other parts of Weymouth and Portland and also in Dorchester.

Drivers have told of numerous near misses after children were pushed into the road.

A man who wanted to remain anonymous said: "Four times some idiot youth threw one of their peers into the path of my car between Abbotsbury Road and Budmouth, and I saw it happen on both sides of the road countless times. One particular genius shoved a young girl in front of a skip lorry; how on earth the driver stopped I do not know."

Weymouth resident Sarah Allan had a close call with a Budmouth student during the afternoon school run.

She said: "I had kids in the car with me. It’s very scary and it’s the drivers who will get the blame. These lads just shoved each other into the path of my car and when I braked hard they just laughed."

Louise Wills said she saw the same thing involving a group of All Saints School pupils when driving home from work.

She said: "Although the boy being pushed didn’t end up in the road, he was very close and it wouldn’t have taken much for him to trip and fall under the wheels of the lorry in front of me. It is completely moronic behaviour."

Budmouth Academy principal David Herbert said: "We have been made aware that some students have been walking home from school, and in particular crossing the main road, in a manner that places their safety at risk.

"We are grateful to members of the public who have shared examples with us and where they have been able to identify specific students at risk we have been able to share this with their parents.

"I have written to parents asking them to discuss the importance of safe travel to and from school with their children and the same messages are being shared with our students in assemblies. We have also shared this information with the police in the hope that working together we can help prevent an unnecessary accident."

A spokesman for Atlantic Academy said: "Road and pedestrian safety information is delivered to all students everyday during morning registration and through the whole Academy message board system.

"Students work through specific road and pedestrian safety scenarios as part of their personal and social development programme, and are regularly reminded during their assemblies of the importance of sensible and responsible behaviour when walking on the pavement or riding their bikes on the roads."

The Echo has contacted other local schools for comment.

A spokesman for Dorset Police said: "Dorset Police is part of the Dorset Road Safe partnership that provides general road safety education and presentations to children in schools throughout the county between the ages of three and 18. We also provide immersive learning experiences at our Safewise centres in Bournemouth and Weymouth.

"With nearly 40,000 children killed or injured each year as a result of road accidents - we work with schoolchildren from an early age to try and instil the importance of road safety.

"The Dorset Road Safe partnership offers all schools the opportunity of road safety educational visits.

"For more information about the work of the Dorset RoadSafe partnership visit www.dorsetroadsafe.org.uk."

Dorset Council said it had not received any reports of this kind of behaviour.