Britain's iconic clackers have made a comeback - with competitions in Malaysia.

The classic 1970s toy was banned in the UK, U.S. and Canada, because of injuries that youngsters were suffering themselves and from hitting other people in the school playground.

However, the device made from two balls attached to a string is enjoying a revival in the much less mollycoddled Malaysia where the craze is gripping youngsters.

Footage shows two teenage finalists swinging their clackers during the final heat of a clacker competition at a mall in Johor on February 25.

The players began in a standing position and were then asked to take steps sideward and forward as a challenge while working to keep the balls clicking together.

The event's fourth-placed contestant Mohammad Hafiszu Zekry - who is a self-confessed clackers nutcase - said: ‘It is a fun game. I like the atmosphere so much because I make new friends.

'The game is challenge and takes a lot of skill and practice. It can be done anywhere.'

Clackers are known locally in Malaysia as ‘lato-lato' and feature the same brightly-coloured balls tied on a string that became popular in the early 1970s.

However, the toys were banned in the West and taken off the shelves of shops after schools reported more children sustaining injuries such as broken wrists.

They can still be bought in shops in Southeast Asia, where health and safety regulations are less developed.