Creepy clown terrorises UK town

The man stands in locations around the town in full clown regalia, often holding balloons or a teddy bear.

"He doesn't juggle. He doesn't twist balloons into animal shapes. He just stares."

Pictures of the 'Northampton Clown', as he has been dubbed on social media, first began to emerge on Friday the 13th, and soon the macarbre manifestation was a trending topic on Twitter.

Meanwhile a Facebook page - Spot Northampton's Clown - apparently operated by the man behind the mask has attracted over 27,000 'likes' since its launch - and shown that public opinion is divided on the red-haired circus exile.

The unidentified man claims to be dressing up to provide others with enjoyment, but many comments on his Facebook page and elsewhere are highly critical.

Possibly because Coulrophobia, or fear of clowns - is a real thing.

Meanwhile, the fact that the clown is a dead ringer for Pennywise from the Stephen King-inspired 1990 horror film, IT, probably hasn't helped to endear him to the Northampton public.

The man has also been forced to deny rumours that he had been knocking on doors in the town, or that he had been arrested for carrying a knife.

"If what i am doing does get too much for people, I will have to stop," he wrote on his Facebook page.

Think we may have already reached that point, mate…