The rules of “planking” are simple. Lie face down with an expressionless face in a funny or daring location. Keep your legs straight, toes pointed and arms by your side. Take a photo and post it on Facebook.

It might seem a bit pointless, but this worldwide fad has taken Malta by storm, with more than 2,500 people joining the Facebook group within a few days and scores of people volunteering their photos.

Some of the locations chosen so far include a conveyor belt at the airport, a bring-in site, the University library, escalators at Bay Street, and the wall surrounding the Libyan school in Ta’ Giorni.

The photos are then shared and liked depending on their popularity. Although the activity is largely harmless, in some parts of the world the stunts became more dangerous as planking became competitive.

Last month, an Australian man fell to his death after planking precariously on a high balcony. In the UK, a number of so-called plankers reportedly found themselves booked by police officers when they planked on a police car.

Some of the photos on the Planking Malta group show young people planking in the middle of a road with cars passing by, or blocking cars on a zebra crossing.