It may be another three weeks until Halloween, but it seems some people are dressing up for the ghoulish celebration a little early.

A bizarre craze of pranksters donning clown costumes to scare people has made its way across the Atlantic and reached this neck of the woods.

Cheshire police have confirmed that they have received reports from concerned members of the public.

The force has slammed the creepy phenomenon, which it says is 'completely unacceptable' and could constitute a criminal offence in a statement released on its social media channels.

'Facebook rumours'

While it hasn't revealed where this 'very small number' of reports are supposed to have happened, members of popular Facebook group Pride in the Port have posted about recent sightings in Ellesmere Port .

One person said clowns were spotted in Gunners Park, brandishing weapons and that two teenage girls were chased by people sporting circus-style get-up.

Insp Chris Williams, from Ellesmere Port Local Policing Unit, told The Chronicle that they have received a 'fourth-hand report of Facebook rumours' relating to a similar incident in Gunners Park on October 6, but nobody has reported the matter to them directly.

“We would advise anyone who sees suspicious or alarming activity to contact police as its happening so that we can deal with this effectively," Insp Williams said.

“We would also strongly advise anyone tempted to take part in this type of behaviour that this is not a funny prank – you will be committing criminal offences and we will take action against you, which could mean a night in the cells and the prospect of a criminal record.”

So far sightings of these eerie characters have been reported in Manchester, Runcorn and North Wales, where a clown was filmed loitering near a children's playground in Caernarfon late at night.

A clown was spotted lurking near a children's playground in Caernarfon
A still from video footage of a clown lurking near a kids' playground in Caernarfon

Have you spotted any clowns? Let us know in the comments below or tweet us @ChesterChron.