HAVE you seen scary-looking characters walking around Grimsby lately?
If you have, there's a good chance they could be clowns, after several rumours of sightings around the town.
In recent months there have been several reports up and down the country of clowns being spotted in the street.
The craze, which started in Northampton a few weeks ago, seems to have spread to Lincolnshire, with several photographs being uploaded to social media websites.
The sinister characters have been spotted in Lincoln, Scunthorpe and Market Rasen in the past few days, and now it seems they have arrived in Grimsby.
Reports suggested that clowns had been spotted in the Freshney Place shopping centre, as well as Weelsby Woods.
Neither of these sightings could be confirmed – so perhaps the clowns have since moved on and are still on the loose.
A Facebook page has now been created, called 'Grimsby's Clown 2013', with two pictures in unconfirmed locations – although the first appears to be the same photograph as the clown was reportedly spotted in Market Rasen on Monday.
James Newall, spokesman for Lincolnshire Police, said: "At this stage, if these incidents are happening nobody is reporting them.
"If someone feels threatened or intimidated they should call police, otherwise it's just a bit of fun."
The strange phenomenon became an internet sensation when it started in Northampton a few weeks ago, when an anonymous character set up a Facebook page entitled "Spot Northampton's Clown".
Fans of the page would often be teased with where the clown would appear next, along with clues and riddles.
The page, which collected nearly 200,000 likes, had several photos of the mystery clown dotted around the Northampton area.
The man under the costume was eventually unmasked by national newspapers who picked up on the craze and hunted him down.
It was eventually revealed that Alex Powell, a Northampton University student, was the man behind the mask.
Mr Powell, who had his friends join him in the prank, was apparently inspired by Stephen King's character Pennywise from the movie It.
But now, clownmania appears to have spread to Lincolnshire.
It started when a character dressed like Ronald McDonald was spotted in Retford, Nottinghamshire, before another menacing-looking clown was spotted roaming the streets of Lincoln.
A clown with balloons has also been pictured on Scunthorpe High Street and in a bus shelter in the town.
And now they seem to be getting closer and closer to Grimsby.
Is it just a bit of harmless fun? Or do you not see the funny side?
'I'd say it's just a bit of harmless fun'Dr David Ellis, Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Lincoln
You get these people who think they see Jesus' face in things like toast, and other examples of apparently seeing things that aren't actually there, because something is planted in their mind.
As humans we are naturally programmed to think in this way. There seems to be pictures of these clowns though so it's a bizarre phenomenon.
I'd say it's just a bit of harmless fun, but it's an interesting time for this to be happening in Lincolnshire as it's probably a few weeks late coming after Halloween.
Social media plays a massive part in things like this. Years ago these kind of stories would just be local gossip and wouldn't make it out of the towns or villages. But now with Facebook and Twitter you can instantly share a photograph and get people involved.
Even though it's just a bit of fun, for those with anxiety disorders or a genuine fear of clowns, this actually might affect them.
Hopefully most people see it in a humorous light but for children who can't distinguish between fact and reality, it's definitely more likely to worry them more than adults.
If you spot a clown roaming around in North East Lincolnshire, send us details, and any pictures, by e-mailing newsdesk@grimsbytelegraph.co.uk, Tweeting us @GrimsbyTel or posting on our Facebook page.