Concerned British clowns call for end to copycat crime wave

Britain's clowns fear their good name has been tarnished after police forces around the country revealed incidents of people in costume scaring members of the public. The copycat craze – believed to have been started by a man in Northampton – involves people dressing as clowns to surprise passers-by in public places.

Several police forces have issued warnings after reported sightings and now details released under the Freedom of Information Act have revealed the extent of the trend. These include reports to Derbyshire police of a clown carrying a knife and incidents in South Yorkshire of a clown staring through the windows of people's homes. Those two forces recorded 29 and 28 clown-related incidents respectively.



Tony Eldridge, secretary of Clowns International which represents the entertainers in Britain, said the situation had escalated beyond harmless fun.  Eldridge, whose clown name is Bluebottle, said: "This is doing clowning no favours and is harming society. The people behind it might see it as a bit of a laugh, but for the victims it can be a horrible experience.

"The fear of clowns – coulrophobia – is a real thing and some people will react very badly to this. Not to mention people who are elderly or vulnerable. This has nothing to do with clowning, it's a small group of people with stupid views and it spoils the fun for everybody else. Most legitimate entertainers followed a code of clown conduct which included not wearing their costume in public," he said. "We have to reclaim clowning as a positive thing which brings happiness."