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After a teenager was given a police warning for carrying a knife as part of a ‘clown prank’ in Blakelaw we look at where the creepy clown craze came from.

There have been a huge amount of scary clowns spotted across the country in recent weeks.

The activities reported range from creepy characters frightening people in passing cars to more sinister incidents where people dressed as clowns have approached schoolchildren .

The rise of the phenomenon has been boosted in no small part by a Facebook page which shares photos and videos of the scary sightings.

The incidents continue to divide opinion across the country with some calling them harmless pranks while others have branded the incidents a menace.

Why clowns?

The fear of clowns - or coulrophobia - is a well established psychological condition.

Although intended to be a figure of fun, the traditional circus clown’s transformation into a creepy character has been helped by the Stephen King book ‘It’.

Is the craze a new thing?

The craze started in the US back in August and since then several reports have emerged - ranging from the bizarre to the downright sinister.

In one of the more recent reports, a mum claimed a man dressed as a clown tried to kidnap her daughter at a bus stop as she cradled her.

In another incident, a creepy clown allegedly tried to lure children into the woods near a residential area.

And it seems the craze proved too much for a group of students at Penn State University.

After hearing reports of creepy clowns lurking on campus, dozens of students went on the rampage in a bid to hunt them down.

However, the craze seems to stretch back even further than that with several sightings of a creepy clown in Lancashire in 2013.

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Why is it happening now?

It’s probably no coincidence that Halloween is just around the corner.

The fact that costumes have hit in the shops in the past few week could explain the timing of the sightings.

‘Evil’ or ‘crazy’ clown costumes are often a popular choice of garb among party goers.

However Ben Radford, who wrote the book Bad Clowns, says there is evidence to suggest that clown sightings are more common during periods of social anxiety.

Is it dangerous?

Some of the incidents have been pranks where the object has clearly meant to scare unsuspecting members of the public.

There have been reports of people dressed as the circus characters and jumping out to give passers-by a fright.

The 13-year-old boy arrested in Newcastle on Tuesday night, October 4, had been armed with a ‘bladed article’ police said.

Police have issued warnings in relation to creepy clowns with some forces even launching crackdowns on those daring to wear the scary outfits.

Grant Urquhart, neighbourhood sergeant at Northumbria Police said: “Carrying out these type of pranks may seem harmless but they can be very upsetting to the people they are targeting.

“We are taking this seriously and I hope that anyone planning on copying this behaviour should know that we will arrest you and you will spend a night in custody.”

Where are they being seen?

All over America and the UK.

One of the first sightings in the states happened last month when a man in a clown costume was arrested after reportedly lurking in the woods in Kentucky.

Since then there have been incidents across the country and elsewhere in the world of creepy clowns leaping out of bushes to scare passers-by, lurking in parks or woodland, or even chasing people.