AS HALLOWE'EN approaches it is feared the troubling craze of creepy clowns will reach its peak.

The NSPCC is today issuing a stark warning to any individuals planning to spoil the festivities by deliberately intimidating children.

In the last three weeks Childline has been contacted 462 times by children afraid of creepy clowns – providing 84 clown-related counselling sessions on one day alone. 

The deluge of contacts to Childline reflects a flurry of reported creepy clown incidents across the UK. 

Police forces across the country have been called to a string of incidents where pranksters or criminals dress as clowns try to scare innocent bystanders.

As reported in the Echo, a young girl ran away in fear after spotting two ‘killer clowns’ on her way to school in Dorchester and parents of children at Chickerell Primary Academy reported a grown man dressed as a clown lying in wait for children and chasing them in Chickerell Woods.

The contacts to Childline reveal a mixture of children afraid of clowns after seeing scary videos online and on social media, as well as those threatened or frightened by creepy clowns in their neighbourhood.

The NSPCC is advising children who are concerned about creepy clowns to talk to a parent or a teacher or trusted adult; call Childline if they want to discuss their worries or get advice and support; block and report abusive messages from people posing as creepy clowns on social media and contact the police if they are threatened by a creepy clown in the street.

An NSPCC spokesperson said: “Wearing spooky fancy dress for Hallowe'en is a time-honoured tradition, but we fear the recent creepy clown craze could see Hallowe'en used as an opportunity to molest, intimate or harm children. Creepy clowns are all trick and no treat; those dressing up with the intention of threatening children need to be aware that they could be breaking the law – particularly if they are carrying weapons.

“If a child is worried they should call Childline on 0800 1111 or get in touch via