How ‘killer clowns’ have now been spotted in dozens of places around country

THE UK is being overrun by an army of ‘killer clowns’, with sightings being reported up and down the country.

The craze has now officially reached Britain, after spreading from the other side of the Atlantic in the US.

The phenomenon began with people in clown masks scaring and threatening people in several US states – with one even holding up a series of fast food restaurants at gunpoint.

But the terrifying figures are now being spotted on all corners of the British Isles.

There have been sightings in England, Scotland, Wales – and even outside the UK in Ireland.

The Sun revealed yesterday how more than 20 clown incidents had been reported in the last week alone.

And a Facebook page has now been set up for people to share pictures of the nightmarish characters when they spot them.

The creepy kids' entertainers have been reported appearing at the windows of houses at night or jumping out of bushes and scaring people.

In many cases, the culprits turn out to be teenagers looking for a laugh.

One very short clown was seen approaching a group of school kids in Dunbar, East Lothian this week to scare them as they walked down the street.

But some stories are more sinister than others, with the horror movie characters brandishing deadly weapons or chasing people through secluded areas in the dead of night.

A mum-of-two yesterday told how a pair of clowns armed with machetes jumped onto her car bonnet and terrified her kids when she stopped at traffic lights in Manchester.

Alice Slattery, 28, said: “It was like something out of a horror movie.”

And a schoolgirl was forced to run for her life when a clown with a knife chased her through a park on her way to school in London yesterday.

Horrified mum Lucy Cheree Fraser said that her daughter is “now frightened to go to school” after the terrifying encounter.

Many now fear it is only a matter of time until someone is hurt, after a pregnant woman was reportedly forced into labour after being scared by a clown wielding a chainsaw in Whitwick, Leicestershire.

Police forces up and down the country are now warning pranksters and psychos alike that they face serious consequences if caught.

Superintendent David Duncan from Police Scotland said: “Any person seeking to cause distress and potential harm to anyone should be aware that police will take action.”

And a spokesman for Thames valley Police warned: “This could lead to public order offences, arrest and a criminal record.

"We would urge people to refrain from such activity.”

In Wales, the first person to be charged over the craze is Connor Jones.

The 18-year-old was seen hiding to scare kids as they left their lessons, and wearing a black and white jumpsuit with a scary mask.

He was given a Fixed Penalty Notice and fined £90 for a public order offence.

And The Sun revealed today that the teenage son of an England football star has been suspended from his private school for making “killer clown” threats to other kids.

The lad was ringleader in a sick social media stunt that caused eight schools to be evacuated. Police were called in.

The craze has become so frustrating for some, that they have formed Clown Hunter groups on Facebook to try and patrol the streets.

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