Clown sightings in the UK – from Essex to Leicestershire, here’s where they’ve been spotted in 2017

THE creepy killer clown sightings which became a terrifying social media craze last year have once again reared their ugly head.

The popularity of the hit horror film It - which features a murderous clown called Pennywise - is feared to have led to a fresh spate of incidents.

What is the killer clown epidemic?

Clowns gained notoriety as a creepy force thanks to Stephen King's horror novel It, which was released in 1986 and has now been turned into a film adaptation.

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

It was reportedly the inspiration for a "sighting" of a clown, in Greenville, South Carolina in August 2016.

The pranks involve people dressing as clowns who are then photographed or filmed carrying out various acts to terrify the public.

The epidemic spread from the USA to the UK and Thames Valley Police alone revealed staff had been called to 14 incidents in less than 24 hours over a weekend.

Cops even issued advice about what to do if you encounter a clown.

A jobless 18-year-old killer clown Connor Jones was fined £90 for scaring children at a Welsh school.

What sightings have there been in 2017?

Police were called after a person dressed as a killer clown was sighted in the Essex town of Chelmsford in September 3.

Officers were also called to an incident after a clown was spotted in city centre.

Social media users warned that there was a clown around the park near Rembrandt Grove trying to jump out of bushes and scare or chase people, reported .

Gloucestershire Police received six reports in 48 hours, while in Leicestershire one woman was scared so badly she went into early labour as the craze baffled much of the UK.

And an Australian teen feared she was going to die when clowns jumped out on her, while terrifying footage from the States showed a freaky jester peering into a family home.

In October two “killer clowns” sprayed a girl, 10, in the face with a noxious substance in Israel – amid a string of recent It-inspired incidents in the country.

The little girl is said to have been playing in a local park with pals in the southern city of Beersheba when the shocking incident occurred.

Have sightings increased wafter It film adaptation was released?

The horror film It featuring an evil demon - Pennywise the Dancing Clown - was released in September 2017.

It features a clown called Pennywise who terrorises the town of Derry in Maine and is responsible for the disappearances of dozens of children and adults.

Fearing the film could reignite the craze, the Pennsylvania State Police department has issued advice for its residents and urged them to report sightings.

The statement read: “It is anticipated that ‘creepy clown’ sightings could be reported starting as soon as September, in part due to the fact that the movie IT will be released in theatres.”