Clown sightings in the UK – where have they been spotted and where has the trend come from

THE creepy clown epidemic that started in the US has spread to the shores of the UK after a flurry of sightings in towns across the country.

The spooky jesters have been seen causing havoc in cities across Britain but where has this bizarre trend come from? The Sun investigates.

How did the killer clown craze start?

Clowns gained notoriety as a creepy force thanks to Stephen King's horror novel It, which was released in 1986.

A film adaptation of the book is released in 2017, much to the excitement of horror fans.

In the book Pennywise the clown terrorises a group of kids in small town America.

It's believed that this was the inspiration for the first ever "sighting" of a clown, which was reported in Greenville, South Carolina.

On August 21 a woman reported that her son had seen clowns whispering and making strange noises” at around 8:30 pm in the woods near their home.

It was one of several reported sightings at around that time, but the first reported to police.

Other people claimed to have seen clowns in the area, including children who claim the clowns told them to follow them into the woods with them.

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The bizarre story of the creepy clowns in Greenville soon hit the headlines, with thousands of people commenting on how bizarre and scary it would be to see one.

But that was just the beginning as copycats began to prank people in an attempt to scare them.

However, what started as a silly craze soon turned sinister with sightings of clowns holding knives, golf clubs and even chainsaws.

Reports of clowns soon spread rapidly from a small town in the US to neighbouring states.

Within weeks it made it spread to Britain before hitting New Zealand and Australia (to see a full list of sightings in the UK scroll to the bottom of this article).

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Things went one step further with clowns jumping out in front of cars to scare drivers, trying to open car doors, chasing people and even attacking them.

In early October a woman was forced into labour early after a teenager jumped out in front of her and a schoolboy was left needing stitches after a clown threw a stick at his head.

Schools have been a particular target for the apparent pranksters, but there is a real danger the craze could end up becoming a serious problem.

What are police doing about this?

Several forces across the UK have condemned pranksters scaring members of the public and wasting police resources.

Cops reported a large number of call-outs in October despite warning that pranksters could be arrested if they put others in fear.

So far, several people have people across the country have been arrested. In the weeks before Halloween the first person in the UK was prosecuted for scaring kids. He was fined £90 and will have a permanent criminal record.

A few days later, two 12-year-old boys were charged with  threatening and intimidating behaviour after menacing members of the public in Fife.

Thames Valley Police revealed staff had been called to 14 incidents in less than 24 hours over a weekend — and demanded an abrupt end to the craze.

A spokesman said: “Their actions cause fear and anxiety.

“This could lead to public order offences, arrest and a criminal record. We would urge people to refrain from such activity.”

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Commander Julien Bennett of the Met Police also said: "Our primary responsibility is identifying and investigating those incidents where a criminal offence has occurred.

"However, anti-social behaviour can leave people feeling scared, anxious and intimidated and I would urge those who are causing fear and alarm to carefully consider the impact their actions have on others.

"In the run up to Halloween it is expected that these types of incidents will increase but with the launch of our annual Autumn Nights campaign in the coming weeks Safer Neighbourhood Officers working in partnership with other agencies will be carrying out additional reassurance patrols and will be on hand for those who are especially vulnerable during this period.

"Whilst we do not want to stop people from enjoying themselves it is important that while having fun they remember to act in a responsible manner and understand that they could be prosecuted if a criminal offence is committed."

However, the sightings have also sparked public backlash with vigilante groups saying they're trying to hunt the clowns because the trend has gone too far.

A mob of 6,000 students armed with hockey sticks and baseball bats flooded the roads around Pennsylvania State University to hunt the clowns.

Vigilantes are also being warned by the police after several videos have appeared on the internet of attacks on pranksters.

Groups of people have been organising meet-ups online in a bid to stop the craze.

Why are we scared of clowns?

A phobia of clowns is known as coulrophobia and is said to stem from the fact that they look almost human but not enough to be realistic.

spoke exclusively to The Sun about why this phenomenon exists.

She explains that as children we are familiar with the appearance of our caregivers and family members and we see them as having a “safe and friendly human face”.

“Our brain has to match patterns in order to survive. We need to be able to recognise and distinguish friendly (human) faces,” said Dr Melanie.

“Clown faces are quite different from this, they have unnatural, large, exaggerated and distorted features and therefore don’t match the ‘safe, friendly human’ pattern we have created in our minds.

“We know that clown faces are brightly coloured, with stark contrasts – for example wide bright red lips, against a very white background, with exaggerated smiles or expressions which are fixed and do not change with interaction.

“This triggers an ‘unsafe/ does not match’ alert in our primal brains which indicates this type of face is unknown, not recognised, possibly unsafe, possibly a threat and we cannot read the facial expression correctly as it doesn’t match the actions or words.”

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This inability to interact with the clown means that we feel potentially under threat and feel fearful, panicky and threatened.

Dr Melanie explains that this usually causes us to avoid them altogether and if something is continually avoided the brain is likely to categorise it as ‘life threatening and dangerous’.

She said: “Generally, clown fears are set up in childhood and continue into adulthood.

“As with most other fears and phobias they can be treatable with modern therapeutic techniques such as Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Relaxation therapy and guided imagery, Hypnotherapy or a combination.

“A few sessions may be all that is needed.”

What should I do if I see one?

As many victims have revealed, spotting a clown can be a terrifying experience but the police are doing their best to deal with the incidents.

Assistant Chief Constable Catherine Hankinson of Greater Manchester Police told The Sun Online: "The safety of people is our upmost priority; we want people to feel safe going about their daily lives.

“It’s important to stress that no-one has been physically harmed and I want to reassure people that we take reports of this nature extremely seriously."

But if you do see any individuals dressed as clowns, you should try and keep calm and report the incident to authorities.

Assistant Chief Constable Catherine Hankinson continued: “If you witness an incident, or want to make a report, please contact police as soon as possible.

"To report an incident, people should contact 101 or the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111. In an emergency, ring 999."

Where have clowns been spotted in the UK?

On October 17 a terrified mum told how a knife-wielding clown tried to snatch her three-month old baby - and on the same afternoon afternoon footage was released of a clown terrorising drivers from a roundabout.

The epidemic seemed to peak after several sightings of pranksters occurred during the weeks leading up to Halloween, with some holding deadly weapons and others approaching terrified children.

But it appears the craze has not completely died down as on November 21 the Somerville Primary School in Wallasey was put into lockdown after a man wearing a clown mask and armed with a kitchen knife was spotted.

New clown sightings are being reported all the time but so far they have been seen in:

England

Anstey, Leicestershire - Killer clown taunts cars from roundabout

Belvedere, London - Heart-stopping moment man ‘runs from his life from killer clown’

Birmingham - Sinister new ‘evil clown’ prankster captured terrorising customers at McDonald’s drive-thru

Bournemouth, Dorset - Killer clown ‘dragged man off the street and brutally assaulted him as he was walking home’

Derbyshire - Cops called to primary and parents told to collect their kids after ‘killer clown’ approached youngster

Dinnington, South Yorkshire - Terrified pregnant mum tells of ordeal after ‘killer clown’ chased her and tot near site of vicious attack in Dinnington

Dinnington, South Yorkshire - Boy who suffered serious head injuries after 'killer clown' attack tells of the moment he was left with blood streaming down his face

Durham - Knife-wielding ‘killer clown’ followed four children on their way to school as creepy fad turns sinister

Essex - School placed in lockdown after pair of clowns in black van approach two female students and invite them to party

Ewood, Lancs - Chilling moment ‘killer clown’ dressed as a blood-stained Ronald McDonald strikes at branch of restaurant

Hayes, London - ‘Killer clown brandishing a fake gun’ arrested by Heathrow Airport cops

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Hither Green, London - Killer clown 'armed with a knife' chases little girl on her way to school as craze continue to sweep Britain

Huddersfield, West Yorkshire - Knife-wielding clown tried to snatch my three-month-old baby, terrified mum-of-six claims

Kent - Sword-wielding ‘killer clown’ taunts traffic from flyover across busy motorway

Leicester - Moment ‘killer clown’ was chased out of taxi office by busy mum-of-four who was trying to work

Manchester - Sword-wielding teens dressed as ‘killer clowns’ arrested at Manchester shopping centre

Manchester - Killer clowns ‘armed with machetes’ target drivers parked at traffic lights even climbing on one mum’s bonnet and threatening her kids

Newcastle - Cops hunting pranksters dressing up as clowns and jumping out from behind bushes at kids to mimic US craze

The Midlands - Tot aged FIVE left ‘screaming in terror’ when ‘killer clown’ leapt out on him after dark

Plymouth - Chilling footage shows brave shopper armed with only a Budweiser chase off creepy clown in supermarket car park

Sheffield - Shocking moment ‘killer clown’ charges at terrified family after blocking their car in the dead of night

Sheffield - Terrifying video shows evil clown on a MOBILITY scooter as bizarre spate of sightings hits Sheffield

Southampton - Boy, 13, in ‘killer clown’ mask suffers head injuries after being hit by car on housing estate

Wallasey, Merseyside - Primary school placed in lockdown after ‘killer clown’ armed with ‘massive knife’ was spotted

Whitwick, Leicestershire - Terrifying clown prankster ‘forced pregnant woman into labour’ as another ‘waved chainsaw on university campus’

Woking, Surrey - School warn parents that ‘killer clowns’ have been throwing metal bars at kids

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Wales

Bridgend - Gang of ‘killer clowns’ carrying a SLEDGEHAMMER approach terrified girls aged 9 and 10 as they played in the park

Caernarfon - Village on alert after schoolboy films evil looking clown lurking near roadside in dead of night

Llanelli, South Wales - Terrified mother tells how she was chased from school with her family by a clown carrying balloons

Port Talbot, South Wales - Cops arrest motorist seen driving on busy road wearing a ‘killer clown’ mask

Tredegar - Mum’s anger after 10-year-old son was left with badly injured arm after being attacked by ‘killer clown’

Scotland

Dunbar, East Lothian - Chilling moment ‘killer clowns’ approach schoolchildren in quiet Scottish town

Inverness- ‘Killer clowns’ leave girl, 10, ‘screaming for her mummy’ after approaching her in a play park

West Lothian - Chilling moment ‘killer clown’ appeared in window of mum’s home as her daughter was sleeping

Ireland

Rathfarnham, Dublin - Petrified youngsters flee in terror after kids’ birthday party is stormed by ‘killer

clowns’

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