Story By:  Ana Marjanovic, Sub-Editor: Michael Leidig, Agency:  Newsflash

These anti-theft nets that have proved popular in China are a deathtrap waiting to happen in the event of a fire warn fireman.

This video went viral after being shared with the comment that it made the apartment blocks look like a prison.

But local media outlet Jimu news that investigated said that it was not just ugly, but also a fire hazard and indeed would prevent people from escaping in the event of a fire.

This particular anti-theft net is reportedly installed in a community in Tangshan which is a coastal and industrial prefecture-level city in the northeast of Hebei province.

The nets were apparently installed in 2013 with only a few of the residents using the option of refusing to have them installed and the vast majority of homes regardless of level having the nets in place.

One local identified only by the surname Wang and living in the Hongyang Xiangmulin Community where the nets were installed said that they were actually quite common in other communities in the area.

Another man named Mr Sun added: “There are similar situations (with nets) in other communities, all for safety reasons. Everyone has become accustomed to it.”

Mr Huang (surname changed), a local real estate agent, said that almost all residents have installed anti-theft nets because of fears about security, with only a few abstaining.

But he added that new properties did not have them because they were recently fears emerging over safety and the fact that they simply looked unsightly.

A spokesman for the management committee of the Xiangmulin Community where the nets were installed said they were unsure if people were allowed to take nets down but insisted that most of the nets had been put up by the owners of the properties themselves.

The Lubei District Fire Brigade however warn that they are dangerous saying that regulations clearly say that the installation of anti-theft windows that affect evacuation channels and evacuation is not allowed but this regulation was only at the moment applied to businesses like restaurants and entertainment venues.