Police reassure residents over Burnley clown

The Express revealed how the mystery figure has become a talking point across town after it was spotted in Rosehill and Rosegrove earlier this week.

Police said they had received a number of calls about the clown from concerned residents but urged people not to take rumours circulating on social networking sights too seriously.

A spokesperson for Lancashire Constabulary said: “Over the last couple days, police have received a number of calls from concerned members of the public in Burnley and the surrounding areas with regards to a man dressed as a clown reportedly in possession of a baseball bat.

“The calls have come as a result of various postings on Facebook as well as a dedicated page ‘Spot the ‘‘Burnley Clown’, with comments becoming more and more exaggerated.

“We would like to reassure people that there is no foundation for any of these reports and we have had no first hand reports of any incidents of violence or intimidation.

“We would urge people to only report first hand instances of suspicious behaviour and try to avoid repeating gossip and third hand information. When people start to talk about incidents like this on social media, without any malicious intent, stories can become confused and sometimes exaggerated and people should bear this in mind.

“If you wish to report a crime please call police on 101. Always ring 999 in an emergency.”