POLICE have issued a warning to clown pranksters.

A spokesman for Wiltshire Police said: "You may have seen a number of reports in the local and national media over the past few days regarding the latest ‘clown craze’.

"This involves people dressing up as clowns and pulling pranks on members of the public.

"We would like to remind people intent on engaging in this type of behaviour that your actions can cause fear and anxiety to people which could lead to public order offences being committed.

"In turn, this could lead to a criminal record.

"Please think about your actions carefully. Any reports of offences committed will be fully investigated."

The 'killer clown' craze, which has seen individuals in costumes carrying out sinister pranks in the hope of terrifying adults and children, had previously been confined to the United States.

But in recent days it has made its way across the Atlantic to British towns and cities.

A spokesman said: "We have received a small number of similar reports locally and would like to remind people that this behaviour can cause concern and worry, particularly to young children and the elderly, and they may end up committing an offence."

Mum Claire Eacott put a post on the Devizes Issue Facebook Page on Saturday saying: "Warning to all. My son and his friends popped to his mates house to get some sleep over stuff last night, it had just got dark.

"There were three men dressed as clowns with baseball bats hanging around Rotherstone, the boys ran home in terrible shock, luckily these clowns didn't catch up with them."

She said that police were contacted.

Two young women were walking home in the Cloatley Crescent area of Royal Wootton Bassett on Saturday when they were followed by someone dressed as a clown.

The individual is described as wearing white shorts, presumably with a clown mask on their face.

At the weekend there were also a number of sightings of scary clowns in a number places in Swindon.

Late on Friday, the administrators of a Swindon Facebook group posted a grainy picture of what appeared to be two clowns following an apparent sighting in the Pinehurst area.

The post was shared almost 1,000 times in under 24 hours – users of the social media site have responded with everything from terror to bravado, some have even threatened to use violence against any clowns they see.