Puddle Watch on Periscope

In the age of YouTube and Vine we know that people will watch just about anything on the internet, but this afternoon pointless online viewing reached a new level as almost 20,000 users became consumed by a live stream fixed on a puddle.

Set up by a group of Geordies at marketing agency Drummond Central in the North of England, the footage has been streaming on Periscope for hours as passers-by wrestle with how to cross the shallow pool of water.

The video has seen people genuinely stumped as they step cautiously through the puddle in Newcastle, with some opting for small steps, others choosing a run and leap and the rest deciding to climb a hill next to the flooded path to hang onto the rail until they reach dry land.

As the has day progressed and news of the live Periscope stream filtered through with #DrummondPuddleWatch trending on Twitter, a handful of jokers arrived at the scene with a surf board, lilo and a yellow wet floor sign - which was placed in the centre of the soaked path. Meanwhile, photographers have been snapping the scene as genuine commuters struggle with the route in what has turned into a rather odd series of events that'll be remembered as the first big online hit in 2016.

The stream entertained the ad industry with agencies such as iris tuning in, below:

Busy at Iris tower. #DrummondPuddleWatch pic.twitter.com/Am2ClQZTak

— Chris Baylis (@chrisbaylis) January 6, 2016