IT'S a spooky time of year, with Halloween around the corner...
But how haunted is Somerset? Have you ever seen a ghost? Does a spook steal your supper, or create strange creaks in the night?
Well, the folks at PsychicWorld.com were eager to uncover which areas in the UK have the strongest paranormal presence, so set about analysing various paranormal and cryptozoological databases to create a list of the UK's most haunted places.
And Somerset ranks pretty highly, with the ninth highest number of paranormal sightings recorded in the county.
The data from PsychicWorld.com reveals that there have been 12,157 known paranormal sightings across the UK to date, with each of the 59 county boundaries analysed accumulating an average of 196 reports.
In Somerset, there were 397 sightings reported.
"Yorkshire stands as the area with the strongest paranormal presence, with 790 spooky sightings - 303% higher than the UK average," said a PsychicWorld.com spokesperson.
"Ranking second is Greater London with 685 paranormal sightings. Home to the ‘Red Lady’ and the ‘Highgate Vampire’, London is not only bustling with the living, but also the dead.
"In third place is Lancashire, famous for Witches and Baggots (shapeshifters), with 529 paranormal sightings.
"Following among the counties with the strongest paranormal presence are Essex (499 sightings), Sussex (438 sightings) and Dorset (433 sightings) respectively ranking fourth, fifth and sixth.
"At the other end is Rutland, England’s smallest county, with a total of six spooky sightings to date."
The Most Prevalent Type of Paranormal Sightings in UK
1 Haunting Manifestation - Spirits or poltergeists - 7,185
2 Phantom Horses & Riders - Ghosts on phantom horses - 526
3 Legends of Folklore - Mythical creatures e.g. Big Foot - 443
4 Headless Ghosts Ghosts manifesting with no head - 366
5 Shucks and Hell Hounds - Phantom dogs and hounds of folklore legends - 363
6 Fairies - Preternatural spirits appearing as little people - 356
7 Women in White - Female ghost dressed in white - 347
8 Unknown - Unidentified paranormal sighting - 291
9 Phantom Animals - Spirits or ghosts of deceased animals - 289
10 Phantom Treasure Guardians - Ghosts that guard treasure - 231
Have you got a haunted house? Do you know of a spook that stalks Exmoor? Drop us an email to newsdesk@countygazette.co.uk
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